Du Wyrda Abr Skulblaka
by t1992
Summary: Originally posted on Inheritance Forums. Du Wyrda Abr Skulblaka is my take on the fourth book of the cycle. Eragon deals with traitors, the Rock of Kuthian and the Vault of Souls on his quest to defeat Galbatorix


A/N

Du Wyrda Abr Skulblaka is my take on the fourth book of the Inheritance Cycle.

This was originally published on Inheritance Forums between the 22/10/08 and the 22/3/09. As such, you will see the following; [i] and [/i], throughout. These are the coding symbols for italics on Inheritance Forums, and I added them as the story progressed in Word rather than when each chapter was posted. I have not had the time to remove them, so if you see them, remember, they mean italics.

I hope you enjoy it.

**Du Wyrda Abr Skulblaka **

**Chapter 1**

High, high above him, three dragons twisted and turned, they were too distant to see anything of their colour. The occasional burst of fire tore apart the blackness. Then, one of the riders fell, a tremendous roar shook the earth beneath his feet, and one dragon exploded away from the others, desperately trying to catch its falling rider. The rider had fallen too fast and too far for the dragon to do anything, as it seemed to realise, hovering in dismay as their partner of life plummeted to his death. Then, suddenly, an enormous white shape sped past him, towards the falling rider, it slowed, and caught the rider, then it turned, and rumbled 'Eragon...'

**Chapter 2**

'Eragon, what happened?' said a voice next to him. He turned to see Arya concerned look on her face. 'You were telling me about what happened to Glaedr, and you just collapsed' 'I had a bad dream, but it wasn't a dream, it was like when I saw you imprisoned in Gil'ead.' 'Don't remind me', muttered Arya, her memory of her imprisonment in Gil'ead was still troubling her. 'What did you see?' she continued, as if nothing had happened. 'I saw dragon, three of them, fighting in the sky, then one rider fell, and was caught by a huge white shape. Then it turned to me and said my name.' 'Did you see what it was?' 'I think it was a dragon, but it can't have been, Shruken is black, and the last egg is green, as far as I know, there is no white dragon in existence.' 'You should ask Gleadr' she replied 'I can't, he won't speak to me, not since Oromis died.' 'I will wake him' interrupted Saphira as she poked her head in through the side of the tent, extending her thoughts so that both Eragon and Arya could hear. 'No, don't, remember what happened when you woke the Menoa tree!' Eragon exclaimed. 'I won't attack him, if that's what you're worried about little one.' 'Fine, just don't say I didn't warn you!' Eragon got up, and went to the spot he kept the precious Eldunari hidden. Carefully he extracted it from the bag, and placed it on his bed. For a while, no one spoke, then, suddenly an unknown consciousness brushed against Eragon and Aryas minds. 'Did you feel that?' he asked her. Before she could reply, the consciousness broke through his mental barriers, and said '_Eragon, Arya, you were right to try and block me out, but my strength is not what it was, I need time to recover it. Now tell me why you have disturbed my mourning.' _ '_Ebrithil, it is about a strange dream I had, there were three dragons battling above me, then a rider fell form one of them. Before his dragon tried to catch him, but a white shape got to him first. It turned to me and said my name_.' He paused, waiting for a reply, when none was forthcoming, he continued _'At first I thought it was dragon, but it was far too big, many times bigger than you were master_.' _'I think it is time I told you one of the greatest secrets and legends of both dragons and riders. But my strength goes fails me, go to Du Fells Nangoroth, and talk to me when you get there_.' With that, Glaedr withdrew from their minds. '_What do you think he meant Saphira? I thought that Oromis had already told us the greatest secret of the riders, the Eldunari, but now, what more can there be?_' 'You forget little one, he said riders and dragons.' Once more she allowed Arya to hear their conversation. 'I wonder what it could mean' Arya said. 'I don't, but let's find.' Then, in his head he said '_Saphira, we need to talk'_

**Chapter 3**

'_What is it little one?_' asked Saphira, wondering what he meant. '_It's about how you always allow Arya into our conversations, I don't mind, but I wish you would ask me first' _'If you really want to know why, it is because of something she said to me after the Agaeti Blodhren.' 'Are you going to tell me what she said?' asked Eragon. 'There were many things, but she made me swear not to tell you, so as not to interrupt your training and perpetrations for battle. After that, I thought it only fair to let her in to our conversations, after all...' The words seemed to freeze in her throat, her promise preventing her from voicing them. 'Is there anyone you DIDNT promise to keep something secret from me, first Brom, then Glaedr, now Arya, what next, are you going to tell me that you mated with Shruiken whilst I was captured in Gil'ead!?!' Eragon almost shouted with his mind. 'Well, now you come to mention it...' 'Saphira!' 'Only joking little one.' 'Good, now, we should see Nasuada to get permission to go to Du Fells Nangoroth.' With that Eragon bounded up onto Saphira's back, and she leaped into the air towards Nasuada's temporary headquarters. When they arrived, Eragon was surprised to see Arya and Roran waiting for him. Before e could ask what they were doing, Nasuada spoke 'I know why you have come Shadeslayer, Arya has explained to me, and, even though it will mean the Varden will be defenceless were Murtagh to arrive, I will let you...' But before she could finish, a tremendous roar filled the air. Looking out of the window, Eragon exclaimed 'Its Murtagh, I thought he was far north, defending Gil'ead!' and with that he ran out of the building and leaped onto Saphira, glad that he had already put on his armour. Just as Saphira was about to take off, Arya came running up to him 'Blodhgarm and the other spell weavers are ready to assist you like last time, and be careful, I...' Once more she seemed to e on the verge of saying something but decided not to at the last second. 'Don't worry, I will be'

With that Saphira leapt into the air, losing a bone jarring roar. Eragon muttered 'Brisingr' as he pulled his sword form his scabbard. There was an evident look of surprise on Murtagh's face as he saw the flaming sword, but it quickly passed. Saphira sent a barrage of angry thoughts at Thorn 'MURDERER, YOU KILLED GLEADR, TRAITOR!' At this Thorn looked deeply saddened, he didn't ask for any of this. Much to Eragon's surprise Murtagh did not attack, but sheathed his sword and reached into his saddlebag. 'Eragon, I'm sorry about Oromis, truly I am, Galbatorix took control of my body, I tried to resist him, but even though I couldn't, something changed. When he released me, I felt different, like I felt before he captured us, I think that by resisting him, it changed my true name, we're free!' 'That's great, but, why are you here? You know the Varden will lock you up, and the dwarves want you dead.' 'I'm here to prove I have changed, and left Galbatorix, I stole the last egg, and some of his precious Eldunari, which I bought with me as a sign of good faith, here, take them' With that he passed the bag to Eragon. 'Come on then' said Eragon, let's go to Nasuada and see what she says, and, thank you.'

**Chapter 4**

As they landed, Eragon handed back the bag 'You had better take it, to show them what you have done' Walking through the Vardens camp was one of the hardest things Murtagh had ever had to do, stares of pure hatred greeted him wherever he looked, often accompanied with abuse, calling him a traitor and a coward. Murtagh knew that they were right, yet he didn't want to admit it. Looking behind him, he saw that Thorn was walking next to Saphira, which surprised him, seeing how angry Saphira was about Gleadr's death. As they turned a corner, Murtagh grimaced as he saw the twisted stump of Thorns once proud tail, despite his best efforts, he had been unable to re-attach it, even with the help of several Eldunari.

When they reached the entrance to Nasuada's temporary headquarters, Eragon had great difficulty in convincing the guards that Murtagh really was on their side, and to let them through. Hearing the commotion outside her door, Nasuada flung it open, then stopped dead with surprise at seeing Murtagh. Before they could say anything, Nasuada told her guards to let them pass. With great difficulty, the two dragons found a window each to poke their head through, the sight of which made Eragon laugh out loud.

'Now' said Nasuada, 'tell me why Murtagh and Thorn are still conscious, I had hoped that if you caught them, you would at least have the intelligence to realise they are dangerous, and should not together, let alone able here, you should have....'

Before she could finish, Eragon interrupted 'The reason they are here is because Murtagh has broken his oath to Galbatorix'

Murtagh smiled when he saw the look of surprise on Nasuada's face.

'But, I thought oaths in the ancient language were unbreakable, and Galbatorix surely would not have released you' she stammered.

'No, but I managed to change my true name' Murtagh replied 'and to prove I have really left him, I brought something with me, here.' With had he handed her the bag he had been holding the whole time.

Gingerly, Nasuada opened the bag, and gasped, for within the bag was not only the last remaining dragon egg, but fifteen Eldunari. Gently, she put down the bag and withdrew the egg. 'Thank you' was all she could say.

Eragon quickly picked the bag back up, and looked at the Eldunari, they were of all different colours and sizes, but he noticed that none were as big as Gleadr's, obviously Galbatorix did not want to give his slave too much power. Then, right in the corner, a small blue Eldunari caught his eye. 'Could it be' he wondered in awe. He carefully reached into the bag. He knew he was taking a big risk, as he did not know how the Eldunari would respond after over 100 years as slaves.

As he picked it up, he said to Saphira 'Do you think this is it? Should I try talking to it?'

**Chapter 5**

Cautiously he reached out to the Eldunari with his mind. The instant he touched its mind, he was overwhelmed by images of the dragons past.

_Waiting, in an egg, waiting for the right person, dozens of un-fit potential Riders. Finding the right one, his excitement at a dragon hatching for him, growing, growing. Being taught, by many Riders and huge dragon, Jura Ohem the Strong, and many others. Then the greatest, and elf, and a giant golden dragon, Oromis and Gleadr. Then, betrayal, by several of the order, desperate councils, trying to stop the fighting, losing more and more dragons. Fighting Kilandi and her dragon Roslarb, the pain of killing another of her race. Her Rider killing Kilandi, then, Morzan and his evil dragon, attacking, about to kill her Rider, attacking his evil dragon, pain, yellow-red- bone-breaking pain, fading eyesight, seeing her Rider rise, fight back, like a dervish, about to kill Morzan, panic, scared, fleeing into her heart or hearts, then burning, burning eyesight fading, fading, gone, hearing her Rider shriek in agony, turning, running, being chased by the evil dragon, swearing revenge. Then nothing, alone, ALONE. Body gradually disappearing, being found by Formora, taken to the dark King, resisting for as long as she could, then gradually losing strength and the will to fight, being forced to serve for so long, so lonely. Then, a change, leaving the dark, lonely cellar, into the light, strength returning, still forced to serve by the evil King. Then, back in the dark, with other Dragons, sensing her former teacher, Gleadr, remembering her past, and her Rider, gradually, eventually, his name, one word, Brom. _

**Chapter 6**

'Saphira' Eragon said in wonderment as he withdrew from the Eldunari's mind, 'Its Saphira, Broms Saphira!'

Unsure how to reply, Saphira remained silent

Carefully Eragon reached back in, and said 'Saphira?'

'_Yes' said the dragon 'Is that you Brom, it's been so long since I heard your voice'_

'No Saphira' said Eragon, 'It's not Brom, I'm sorry, but he died, not one year ago'

'_How can it not be Brom, you sound so much like him'_

'That's because I'm his son Saphira'

Leaving Saphira to think about what he said, he turned to Nasuada and Murtagh.

'Thank you Murtagh.' Seeing the look on Nasuada's face, he said to her 'the Eldunari, it is that of Brom's dragon, Saphira'

Nasuada looked shocked at that 'I never knew Brom was a Rider'

'Brom didn't spread it around, he only told me as he was dying .Anyway, now we have sixteen Eldunari, and Saphira and Thorn, we have a real chance at destroying Galbatorix'

As he finished speaking, Arya ran into the room, breathless. 'Eragon' she said, 'why is Murtagh here, not in a cell?'

Quickly Eragon explained to her what he had told Nasuada earlier. When he had finished, she seemed to accept what he said, then a puzzled look came over her face. 'When Murtagh told you he had changed his true name, was he using the Ancient Language, or this one?'

Even as the words left her lips, Eragon realised how foolish he had been, of course he should have checked, but he wasn't going to let Arya know how lax he had been. 'Um, I can't remember' was all he could say

Swiftly Arya turned to Murtagh, 'Say it' she said.

'Say what?'

'That you have truly left Galbatorix, and joined the Varden. Say it in the Ancient language.'

'_Eka jierda iet yawe konungr. Fricai onr eka eddyr' _ he replied.

'He just said _I broke my bond with the King. I am your friend_' Eragon muttered to Nasuada

'Good, now that's settled, tell me how you came to be here Murtagh' Nasuada said to him.

'Well, it started when Eragon told Thorn and I that we could change our true names to break our oaths to Galbatorix. We did try, and it seemed to work for a time, we could feel his hold on us lesson with each passing day. Unfortunately, he realised what was happening. He took me to the dungeons under Uru'baen, and his torturers tortured me for days, trying to make me regain my anger, returning my true name to what it was when Thorn hatched.'

When that happened, he once more started to send us out, usually just to ensure that his cities were still loyal to him. But then, the elves attacked Gil'ead. He sent us there to confront them. As you know, Thorn and I fought Oromis and Gleadr. It seemed as though we would be destroyed, yet suddenly, through Thorns Eldunari, he was able to create a great spell, binding us in place. He then spoke through us, and when Oromis was weakened, he controlled my actions and killed him. I tried to resist, but he was too strong. However, from that foul deed, I was able to break free. By resisting him, it changed enough about me that my true name changed instantly, far too quickly for him to realise. After the battle, I went back to Uru'baen, as he had ordered. After he had finished to me, I quickly grabbed as many Eldunari as I could, including Thorn's and Brom's Saphira's, and the final egg, and came here as quickly as I could.'

'Wait, there's one thing I don't understand' said Eragon, 'After I killed the Ra-Zac, I was hiding from a soldier, and he said that many people heard you say something, which seemed to upset Galbatorix. What did you say?'

'Now that I can explain, I said that I would find a way to leave him, then destroy him. I suppose you could say he was angry after that!'

Then a strange look passed over Arya's face 'I know you have said in the ancient language that you have left Galbatorix, but I still see no proof you have changed your true name. It is possible to lie in the ancient language, but only if a powerful oath compels you to do so. Now, before I will trust you completely, tell me, and everyone, what was your true name before it changed'

'_Shur'tugal du rauthr'_ Murtagh said slowly.

Understanding why Arya wanted to know Murtaghs previous true name, Eragon said '_Shur'tugal du rauthr.'_ As he had hoped, hearing his true name did not have the same effect on Murtagh as it did on Sloan. Still not convinced, Arya said, in the ancient language, '_Shur'tugal du rauthr_, lift a stone with magic.' When it had no effect on Murtagh, she said 'He truly has changed his true name. We can trust him.'

**Chapter 7**

Later that night Murtagh and Thorn were in their tent. In his hand, Murtagh held the one Eldunari he had not given to Eragon.

'What should we do with it?' he said to Thorn, 'If I smash it, you will die, and if I take it with me, there is a chance it will break. There's no way to put it back within you.'

'_Then we must hide it'_ Thorn rumbled.

'But where?'

'_The place where the wild dragons of old stored their Eldunari. Du Fells Nangoroth.'_

'OK, we will have to think of an excuse to get away for a day or two whilst we do it.

Eragon too was sat in his tent with Eldunari, most on his bead next to him, but one still in the bag Surrounded by his Elvin guards, all ready to assist him if he needed it, he reached into the back and took hold of the final Eldunari.

As he touched it, he knew something was different, this Eldunari launched immediately into a fierce mental attack on him. Even with 13 elves and Saphira, he was nearly overcome, but before the dragon could take control, Eragon managed to shout 'Eka ai Fricai un Shur'tugal'. The dragon's mental bombardment quickly ceased, but Eragon could still feel the hostile presence of the dragon's consciousness around him.

'_Where am I, you are not the dark king, nor his pet Rider.'_

'No, but Rider I am, the first since the fall. To answer your question, you are in a tent in the Vardens camp.'

'_How did I get here?'_

'The king's 'pet Rider' brought you here when he escaped Galbatorix.'

'_Escaped Galbatorix? My Rider was the second to be slain by Galbatorix. He broke my mind over one hundred years ago. I have spent the time trying to find a way to break his clutches on me, but to no avail. How did he do this?'_

'He changed his true name' Eragon answered simply. 'I think yours must have changed too if you gave Murtagh strength to resist Galbatorix.'

'_That would explain a lot, now go; you have given me much to think about young Rider'_

With that Eragon withdrew from the dragon's mind and turned to face the Elves. 'There, that's the last one' he said, feeling pleased with himself. 'All of them are glad to have escaped Galbatorix's clutches. Now though, I must ask you all to do something. You must all swear, in the ancient language, an oath to me in the ancient language that you will never reveal anything about Eldunari, under any circumstances to anyone.'

One by one, the Elves swore never to reveal anything about Eldunari. As the last one finished, Eragon nodded, satisfied that the secret was safe.

**Chapter 8**

The next morning Eragon packed Saphira's saddle bags with all the Eldunari Murtagh gave them. Gleadr's went in a separate bag, although the elder dragon could almost certainly sense the presence of the other dragons, Eragon did not want to disturb him until they reached Du Fells Nangoroth.

As he went towards Nasuada's tent, he saw Arya coming towards him. He waited for her to arrive, then said 'What do you want?'

'You are leaving.' It was not a question.

'Yes, to go to Du Fells Nangoroth, I was talking to Nasuada about it yesterday, before Murtagh arrived.'

'I am coming with you.'

'Why? I will be safe; I have Saphira, and sixteen Eldunari. Galbatorix won't come after me; he's too scared to leave his castle to do that.'

'I know, but considering what a mess you made last time you were alone in the Empire...'

At that point Eragon knew she was right, and anyway, it would be a good chance to spend time alone with her. 'Fine, you can come if you want. But first, I need to let Nasuada know we are going now.'

When they arrived at her tent, Eragon was surprised to see Murtagh hurrying away from it. Wondering what he could have wanted, Eragon and Arya went in.

'I take it you are leaving' Nasuada said as soon as they were both in the tent.

'Yes, we are' Eragon replied simply 'But before we go, I want to know what Murtagh seemed so desperate to get somewhere.'

'I gave him permission to go hunting with Thorn. I do not see any danger as he swore that he had joined us in the ancient language.'

Eragon wasn't convinced but he kept his silence on the matter. 'We will return in a few days, as long as all goes well.'

With that, Eragon called to Saphira with his mind, and left the tent with Arya. In front of them stood Angela and Solembum.

'I didn't expect to see you here' said Eragon.

'Why not? You know I like to be where something is happening, and where better to watch great changes than in the presence of the first Dragon Rider since the Fall? But anyway, I am not here because of that. He' she indicated Solembum, 'wanted to speak to you before you left.'

'Did he say why?'

'Ask him yourself' was the harsh reply he got for his effort.

'Fine' he said, extending his mind until he reached the Werecat. 'What did you want to say to me?' he asked with his mind.

'I wanted to remind of something I said when we first met' as he said it, he was lazily scratching his side. 'I see you have a new sword, you must have followed at least part of my advice.'

Yes, but at what cost, Eragon thought to himself.

'I suppose you will remember as well that I told you to speak your name to The Rock of Kuthian to open the Vault of Souls, well that time is nearer than you would expect, Shur'tugal du Kvey un du Sundavar.'

'What did you say?'

'I reminded you of my advice.'

'No, that last bit, Shur'tugal du Kvey un du Sundavar, what did it mean?'

'That is for you to find out Shadeslayer.' With that he wondered off, tail proudly in the air.

As Eragon turned to Angela, she said 'I do not want to know what he said, that was for you, and you alone, until you choose to reveal it.' Even as she finished saying it, she was had disappeared between some more tents.

Seconds later Saphira landed in front of them, and they leaped up. With a mighty roar, Saphira launched herself into the air and headed towards the Hadarac desert.

When they stopped for the night they were many leagues away from Feinster where they started the morning.

'Hopefully we will be there sometime tomorrow morning' Eragon said to Arya.

After gathering wood for a small fire, they lit it and slept for the night.

_Three dragons twisted and turned high above the barren earth. The occasional burst of fire tore apart the blackness. Then one clawed at the straps holding Eragon in place. He started to fall. Saphira tore away from the other dragons, speeding towards him, but she was not fast enough. Fear gripped Eragon as he plummeted faster and faster. Just as it seemed that all was lost, a huge white shape sped up beneath him, slowing his fall with a burst of magic. Then it caught him, turned and rumbled_ 'The Vault of Souls awaits you.'

Eragon awoke, gasping for breath. '_What was it little one_?' Saphira said in his head.

'I had that dream again, but this time, it was me who was falling. The giant white _thing _that caught me told me that the Vault of Souls awaits me.'

**Chapter 9**

Thorn flew fast, faster than Murtagh would have believed possible just a few months earlier, due in part to Galbatorix's dark magic, and partly due to Thorns own prowess. Fast they flew north then east, heading straight to Du Fells Nangoroth, the ancient home of dragons, the place they went to mate, eventually, to die. Far beneath them Murtagh could see hundreds of soldiers heading north, to the defence of Uru'Baen. The closer they got to the dragons ancient home, the bleaker the landscape got. In the distance Thorn could see a group of peaks, which he knew must be their destination. As the day wore on they got closer and finally Murtagh could see the mountains.

By late afternoon they had reached the base of the stand of mountains. Flying straight up the vertical walls of rock they reached a plateau in the centre of three peaks, Thorn landed and Murtagh gazed around in awe. On all sides there were caves, some deep, others shallow. In some he could even see faint remains of long dead wild dragons.

'Which one should we use?' he asked thorn.

'The deepest we can find'

Glancing around Murtagh saw one so deep he could not see the wall at the end. They went in slowly, and came across a sharp bend. Following the path, Murtagh saw a shallow ledge on one side.

'Do you think that will do?' He asked Thorn again.

'Only if you enlarge it with magic' Thorn replied.

'Very well.' Calling upon his and Thorns strength Murtagh spoke the words of power. Slowly, painfully he enlarged the cavity to the size of a man's head. Reaching into Thorns saddlebag he withdrew the Eldunari of the Partner of his Heart. Carefully he placed it at the back of the cavity.

'Have we made the right choice?' he asked.

'Yes, my soul will be safe here, until all this is over and Galbatorix is dead.'

With that Murtagh once more called on the power of the Ancient Language, Murtagh sealed the cavity, and placed enchantments around it so that only he could enter. He was careful to ensure he worded it so that the spells drew power from a gem he had saturated with energy which he had placed in the cavity next to the Eldunari, and not himself. When it was done, he left the cave with Thorn, and was about to take off when he looked up and froze with shock. For above him was...

Eragon got no more sleep that night, still trying to work out what his dream meant, and where the Vault of Souls truly was.

He was still sitting next to Saphira thinking when Arya woke up.

'Did you not get any sleep?' Arya asked, with a concerned note in her voice.

'I did, but not for long, I had the dream again.' Quickly he told her about it, and how it had changed since the last time.

'This must be a sign; we should get to Du Fells Nangoroth as soon as we can, to speak with Gleadr.'

'I agree, Saphira, are you ready to leave?'

'Yes little one.'

Eragon and Arya climbed up onto Saphira, and she sped off towards the three peaks which indicated the ancient home of dragons.

With Eragon's enhanced eyesight he could see the mountains long before a normal human would, and so they appeared deceptively close. Still, they did reach their destination far quicker than Eragon expected, apparently Saphira was also desperate to find out what Gleadr wanted.

'We are there' Saphira said, projecting her thoughts so that both Eragon and Arya could hear her. She abruptly stopped, then launched into an impossibly steep dive. Eragon whooped with joy, then laughed as he turned around and saw the look of fear on Arya's face.

When Saphira pulled out of the dive, meters above the plateau, Eragon looked below him in shock, for standing right beneath him was Murtagh and Thorn.

**Chapter 10**

Saphira and Eragon! What were they doing here? Questions raced through Murtaghs head. Much the same was happening in Eragon's mind.

'Murtagh!' Eragon called down to his half brother, 'What are you doing here?'

'Land and I'll tell you.' Murtagh called back.

'Fine.' Even as he said it Saphira landed next to Thorn, who started sniffing at her excitedly. 'Now will you tell me? Nasuada said you and Thorn were going out to hunt for a while.'

'We came here because...' Before Murtagh finished, he spoke quickly to Thorn in his head 'Should I tell him?'

'Yes, we are all on the same side now'

'But...'

'But nothing!' Thorn roared, 'Do you want to regain his trust, and fight Galbatorix?'

'Yes' Murtagh said meekly. Then, to Eragon, 'We came here to hide Thorns Eldunari. I thought it was too risky to keep it with us, so were better to leave it? You would need to be a Rider to get up here, and the Wild Dragons of old left their Eldunari here. Anyway, what are you doing here?'

'Gleadr told us to come' Saphira said to everyone present.

'How could he? Galbatorix slew him through Thorn.'

'You forget Murtagh, he gave us his Eldunari. He told us to come here to tell us a great secret.'

'Eragon, you should not reveal anymore about me or what I said. Why are you talking to him as though he is with us? He is Galbatorix's name slave.'

'Saphira, we forgot to tell him!'

Quickly Eragon explained all that had happened since they last spoke.

'I thought I felt the presence of other dragons, though I could not discern their location'

'Gleadr, should Murtagh and Thorn hear what you have to say?'

'Yes, for it is as much a part of their heritage as your own. Now, Eragon, Saphira, there should be a cave here which has a large boulder partially covering the entrance. Go in, right to the back, and I will tell you what needs to be told.'

Cautiously Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh, Thorn and Arya went into the cave. When they reached the back, Gleadr started to speak again.

'This tale is an ancient legend. Much was known to all Riders, but a part was told only to me, several weeks after it happened.

Long before Du Fyrn Skulblaka, the Dragons lived in clans, much like the Dwarves do now, although with far less violence. There were five clans, four of which are of little consequence to this tale, but one, the greatest of all was called the Kuthian, after their leader, Kuthian. The Kuthian's were the strongest, fiercest, bravest and most intelligent of any of the clans. Your father was from an egg given to the Riders by a Kuthian female Saphira.'

Eragon could instantly feel that Saphira was immensely proud of this information, and a smug look appeared on her face.

'Anyway, their leader Kuthian was truly ancient. He was old even before the Elves arrived from their homeland. He was the wisest and largest of any dragon throughout history. Although many do not know it, he was one of the first dragons to see the folly of the war. As such, he deliberately placed an egg from one of the females of his clan in a place where he knew that the first Rider, Eragon would find. When the war was over, he gave the dragon whose name cannot be said in any language the inspiration to perform the magic required to bond the Elves and Dragons.

'Throughout the ages he provided wisdom and strength to the Riders. He oversaw the Golden Age, before the Fall. Although he was never bonded to a Rider, he was allowed to all the Riders councils due to his immense wisdom and age. He was also there when the council refused Galbatorix another egg. When that meeting was over, he consulted with King Evander of the Elves.

'That is all that was known to most, what follows is what I was told by King Evander, the greatest spell weaver of his time upon his return.

'When he met with Kuthian, he was told by Kuthian, who could occasionally gain glimpses of the future, about the fall of the Riders. Kuthian also told him about a way he had seen to defeat Galbatorix after his rise to power.

'Kuthian and Evander travelled to Du Fells Nangoroth, to this very cave, although Kuthian himself was far too large to put more than his head into the cave. Kuthian knew that there was only one way for the next Rider, the one who would defeat the dark king to succeed, that was with his help. Kuthian also foresaw that he would be killed of forced into hiding long before the next Rider appeared. He did the one thing he could. After many millennia, he disgorged his Eldunari. With King Evander's help he wrought a great enchantment which disguised his Eldunari so that only the chosen one, the first Rider after the Fall could discover it.

'Eragon, if I am not mistaken, you told Oromis and me, before we died, that a Werecat told you to find the Rock of Kuthian, and to speak your name to open the Vault of Souls. The Rock of Kuthian is here, that much I know, but Evander did not tell me which one. He did however, return alone. He would not say what happened to Kuthian.'

**Chapter 11**

'Gleadr, how big was Kuthian? 'Eragon asked slowly.

'Did I not make it clear? He was the oldest Dragon in existence, even before the Elves arrived in Alagaesia. From a mile away, he could be easily mistaken for a large hill.'

'Then his Eldunari must be enormous!'

'Little one, should you not start looking for this Eldunari?' Saphira said in his head.

'Of course, sorry Saphira.' As he said it he started to leave the cave.

'Eragon, what about me and Thorn?' Murtagh suddenly said.

'...Um, I suppose...you could...help look for the Eldunari rock.'

Everyone left the cave, and started to look at all the rocks around. Suddenly, Murtagh called out to Eragon. 'It must be this one' he said 'it's the only large rock here' He pointed at the bolder which partially blocked the cave they had been in just minutes before.

As he walked up to the rock, he reached out with his mind; he was surprised that he could not feel anything from the rock. When he told Saphira, the only answer she had was that it must have been disguised so that no-one could feel anything from it.

When Eragon got to the rock, he laid his hand on it, and said 'Eragon Shadeslayer, son of Brom.' To his surprise, nothing happened. 'Saphira, why didn't it work?'

'Solembum must have meant your true name Eragon.'

'Yes, but, what is it?' Suddenly, realization dawned on Eragon. 'I think Solembum told me my true name before he left.'

'Can you remember it Eragon?'

'...Um... it was...Shur'tugal du Kvey un du Sundavar.'

'Well, say it to the rock!'

Slowly, careful not to let anyone hear him, Eragon said 'Shur'tugal du Kvey un du Sundavar'

Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise, and the rock split in two. Within it was a huge Eldunari. There was a definite white glow, but it was not solid like the gold glow of Gleadr's Eldunari, but more like the colour of Gleadr's when he first disgorged it, like it was when his body was still alive.

A powerful presence emanate from it. Warily Eragon touched the Eldunari.

'Who disturbed my rest?' rumbled the Eldunari.

'Eragon Shadeslayer.'

'And why?'

'Because I need your help Kuthina-elda, the Werecat Solembum to me to seek the Rock of Kuthian when my power seemed insufficient and to speak my name to open the Vault of Souls.'

'You have come to the right place, for you have found the Rock of Kuthian, my Eldunari. As for the Vault of Souls, that is locked, and can only be opened by me.'

'Can you not tell us where to find it? We could take your Eldunari to it.'

'No' roared the Eldunari. 'That will not work. It can only be opened with the touch of my claw.'

'But, Kuthian-Elda, how can you do that? Gleadr said you were dead.'

'Eragon, I did not say that, I only said that Kuthian never returned to the Riders from Du Fells Nangoroth.' Gleadr suddenly spoke up.

'I am not dead Eragon' said Kuthian, 'I merely placed my Eldunari here so that the next Rider could contact me. Now, you must come to me.'

'But, where are you, surely if you were anywhere in Alagaesia, Oromis and Gleadr would have known,'

'I am not in Alagaesia Eragon.'

'But where Kuthian-Elda?'

'I and all the other wild Dragons are in the land which humans originated from.'

'How do I get there Kuthian-Elda?'

'I will show you.' A series of images entered Eragon and Saphira's minds.

**Chapter 12**

Nasuada paced her tent impatiently. After capturing Feinster, the Varden had quickly moved on towards Belatona. Right now they were camped outside Melian, about halfway to Belatona. She had spent the last few days planning how to capture the city without either of her Riders. Eragon, she knew had gone to Du Fells Nangoroth, and was expected back anytime now. Murtagh, on the other hand, had just disappeared completely. He hadn't been seen for almost a week, not since he had left to go hunting with Thorn.

'Lady Nasuada' a voice outside disturbed her brooding.

'What is it?'

Captain Garven of the Nighthawks entered. 'My lady, a Dragon approaches from the east.'

'Thank you captain.' She was still grateful that Angela had been able restore Garven's mind from his examination of the Elvin spell weavers when they arrived.

She left the tent and followed Garven and the other Nighthawks to the clearing they had created for Dragons to land in, as they did wherever they camped, in the hope that Eragon and Murtagh would return. Still wondering who it was, Eragon or Murtagh, she reached the clearing.

Above her a brilliant red Dragon descended. _There's Murtagh, but where is Eragon?'_

The instant Murtagh landed, she rushed up to him questions speeding through her head. _Where's Eragon? Why did Murtagh take so long?'_

* * *

As Thorn descended Murtagh looked down and saw Nasuada standing below him.

_What will she think of me? I deceived her, and she must have thought I betrayed her._

'_Don't worry Murtagh, when you explain why you disappeared, she's sure to understand.' _Said Thorn, reading his thoughts

'If you're sure.'

'_I am._' With that Thorn landed.

'Murtagh! Where did you go?' Nasuada said as she ran up to him.

Getting off Thorn, he said 'I'd rather not say, not with everyone here'

'Follow me.' The Nighthawks followed closely behind Nasuada and Murtagh as she led him through the forest to her tent.

'Now will you tell me?' she said after they had sat down in her head.

'Yes, but you must promise not to tell anyone else, no matter what'

'Wiol onr, for you'. It was one of the few phrases Nasuada knew in the ancient language.

'Thank you' Murtagh said, for he knew only too well what he had asked of Nasuada. 'I too went to Du Fells Nangoroth, but for a different reason entirely to Eragon. I went to hide Thorns Eldunari, which Galbatorix forced him to give up almost as soon as he hatched. That is how he was able to use me to kill Oromis and Gleadr.'

'But, why didn't you tell me?' Asked Nasuada, a hurt look coming into her eyes.

'Because...'

Before Murtagh could finish, Thorn interrupter, broadcasting his thoughts so Nasuada could hear too.

'_Because I advised him not to. I thought it would be best to let as few people as possible know about my Eldunari, for if they gained it, they would hold my soul in their hands.'_

'Could you not at least have told me? I have a right to know about these things.'

'Actually, no, I did not pledge myself to you, as Eragon did, I only swore to fight Galbatorix, be it with you or alone.' Murtagh said, raising his voice to emphasise his point.

'Forgive me. I was not myself. My wounds from the Trial of long Knives are still fresh, a painful reminder of my dedication to lead the Varden. But enough. Did you meet Eragon whilst you were at Du Fells Nangoroth?'

'Yes' Murtagh replied simply.

'When did he leave?'

'At the same time as me.'

'Well, why isn't he here now?'

'I can't say. Eragon made me swear in the ancient language not to tell anyone where he was going. He did however allow me to tell you that he will be gone for many weeks, and he is taking Arya with him.'

**Chapter 13**

Later that day Nasuada was still brooding in her tent, although this time it was over something she had remembered after seeing Murtagh, the green egg. She still wasn't sure which course of action she should take.

'Lady Nasuada, the council is here' a voice once more called from outside her tent.

'Very well, send them in' she called back. Even before she had finished speaking the council trooped in before her.

Jormunder was the first to speak. 'My lady, it has come to our attention that you still have not done anything about the Dragon egg Murtagh gave to us several days ago. Have you had any ideas over what to do?'

'Yes, but I have not decided which is best.'

'Why do you not consult with us on matters like this lady Nasuada?' Sabrae spoke up suddenly.

'Because I have not yet decided which is the better choice, for the Varden and the whole of Alagaesia!' A hint of anger crept into her voice.

'Would you care to share these ideas with us? We are here to help you in these matters' said Falbard.

'Well, we can either go back to doing that which we did for so many years with Saphira's egg, in the hope that eventually it will hatch, for an elf, or a child of the Varden, or we can leave it, do nothing about it and pretend we do not have it.'

'But my lady, why would you need to consider these options? Surely it is best to go back to ferrying the egg between the Varden and the Elves.' Falbard said confidently.

'Yes, but what if Galbatorix tried to capture the egg again, as he almost did with Saphira's? Where we still in Farthen Dur, I would choose to do this without hesitation, but now we are on the move, it is not anyway near as safe. Also, what if Galbatorix himself chose to retrieve the last Dragon egg in existence? We would be powerless before him, and be completely destroyed.

'Now, the second option, act as though it is not here, is far safer, as although we do not gain another Rider, the chance of being attacked directly by Galbatorix is diminished dramatically.'

'But, lady Nasuada' Jormunder started, 'There was never any doubt, since the day the Varden was conceived, that sooner or later, we would be assaulted directly by Galbatorix, and the closer we get to Uru'baen, the more likely it is we will be attacked.'

'I know, but ...' She had no answer. 'Very well, we will allow all of the Varden to have contact with the egg, starting tomorrow.' She said it reluctantly, even though she knew it was the best course to take. She would have almost certainly decided to do that anyway, but she knew the council had won a moral victory.

'Was there anything else you wanted?' she asked them.

'Well, actually yes, there is my lady. We wanted to talk to you about the supplies of The Varden.'

Nasuada sighed; it was going to be a long night...

**Chapter 14**

Roran rolled over in his sleep, then woke up when a sharp pain shot down his back, tearing one of the still fresh scabs from his brutal whipping less than two weeks ago. He sat up, wincing as he did so. The pain quickly disappeared as he gazed at the prone form of Katrina next to him. He still could not believe that she had agreed to marry him, and even harder to believe was that he had been able to rescue her from the clutches of the flesh eating monsters that were the Ra-Zac and their foul parents, the Lethrblaka.

Careful not to disturb her, he got up and stood outside their tent to gaze at the rising sun. He did this every morning, especially on days when he knew there would be a battle ahead. Today was no exception. Later that day he knew that the Varden were launching their assault on the small city of Melian. Although it was a small, seemingly overlooked city, it was part of a vital supply route south for the Empire, and soon it would be part of such a supply route heading north, for the Varden.

Roran bent down and picked up a small stone. 'Stenr Risa' he muttered, just as Eragon had told him. He didn't expect anything to happen, nothing had yet, and he had tried most days ever since he had rescued Katrina. Even as he uttered the words he felt something different. To his great surprise the stone lifted to about a foot above the palm of his hand. Suddenly he felt a drop in his physical and mental energy. He was so shocked that the stone fell from the air and back into his hand. Before he could think anymore on the subject a shout broke the still air. The attack had begun, just as planned. Roran retreated back into his tent, knowing that any time now the screams of dying men would tear apart the tranquil morning. Katrina was waiting for him.

'You're going now.'

'Yes' Roran said, retrieving his hammer and shield.

'Be careful' she replied, walking forward and kissing him. He replied by embracing her gently.

'I will be, don't worry about me' he muttered into her ear.

Two hours later Roran was charging into battle, surrounded by the group of soldiers he had served with since he had returned from rescuing Katrina. A barrage of arrows stopped yards from his face, and scattered harmlessly among the cobbled street. Beside him, Roran could see his friend Cern, their group's magician, waver as his energy dropped from the effort of maintaining the wards around them. Roran was once more glad that he had one of Blodhgarm's Elves with him, to lend Cern strength when he needed it, and to maintain wards of his own.

Roran ducked under a sword stroke aimed at his head, and replied by smashing the offending soldiers shoulder. A scream of pain erupted from the man, who collapsed to the floor. The distraction allowed the elf to slay the pair of soldiers he was fighting. It was not much, but it was sufficient to make the remaining soldiers turn and run to a more defensible spot.

The battle raged long into the afternoon, but eventually the defenders broke and all that remained ran and hid in the keep, shutting the doors behind them. That was when Nasuada released Murtagh and Thorn. She had kept them hidden near the camp, for although she knew that Galbatorix would at least guess where Murtagh was, she didn't wasn't to allow anyone from the city to see him and escape to let the King know.

**Chapter 15**

Thorn loosed a deafening roar as he sped towards the keep. A jet of flames left his mouth, setting fire to part of the keep, incinerating several defenders in the process. Murtagh smiled with glee, this was his first chance to strike back at the Empire which had enslaved and tortured him and Thorn for so long.

The defenders did not know which was better, stay and be incinerated by rapidly spreading fire, or flee and be chopped to pieces by the waiting Varden. A few tried to weakly fight the flames, but were quickly killed by a slash of Thorns claws, or a swipe of Murtaghs sword.

Thorn landed on the flat piece of ground between the keep and gate, holding off swarms of soldiers with his claws, teeth and fire, whilst Murtagh ran towards the gate. He quickly decapitated the two soldiers who were guarding the gates mechanisms. Then, using Thorns strength as much as his own, he used magic to turn one of the levers, whilst he did the other by hand. As the gate rose the Varden started cheering. Murtagh couldn't believe it. They seemed to be accepting him. Even before the gate had raised completely the Varden were pouring in through it, ready to slaughter all who remained. They seemed a bit disappointed when they saw the mountain of corpses around Thorn and the few remaining soldiers cowering in a corner trying to surrender.

Nasuada surveyed the scene. Still weakened from the Trial of Long Knives she had, much to her annoyance, not been able to take part in the actual fighting. She had rejected numerous offers, from Angela, Du Vrangr Gata, Blodhgarm's Elves, and even Murtagh to heal her arms. But she could not be swayed. She would endure her wounds, the Trial demanded it. _Two cities down, three to go, _she thought to herself.

'Lady Nasuada' a messenger ran up to her, breathless, 'Queen Islanzadi wishes to speak with you in your tent.'

Nasuada turned and hurried to the tent. When she arrived, she thanked the messenger and went in. She saw the Elven Queen in the enchanted mirror she used for such communications.

'Atra esterni ono thelduin' she said, making the Elves traditional gesture of greeting.

'Atra du evarinya ono varda' came her reply.

Not wishing to prolong the greetings any more, Nasuada ignored the optional third line, and quickly spoke again. 'What did you want to see more your majesty?'

'I wish to know how your attack on Melian went and how long it will be before you reach Dras-Leona'

'Melian has fallen within the last hour. As for Dras-Leona, it will be at least two weeks before we arrive, for Belatona stands in our path, a city we cannot ignore.'

'That is better news than I hoped for. We will meet you at the gates of Dras-Leona, the first time the Elves and Humans have marched together since the Wyrdfell. Now tell me, where is my daughter, I wish to speak with her.'

'I am afraid you cannot do that' Nasuada said, then, before Islanzadi interrupted she hurriedly continued, 'Because I do not know where she is.'

'WHAT!' Thundered Islanzadi.

'She went with Eragon to Du Fells Nangoroth about a week ago, and they did not return. However, when Murtagh arrived back with us, he said he had gone there, for a purpose I cannot reveal, and had met Eragon and Arya. I believe he does know where they have gone, but Eragon has sworn him to secrecy in the Ancient Language. He was able to say that Eragon will be gone for a long time. Be assured though, as soon as they return, I will let you know.'

**Chapter 16**

Evarinya was walking along the edge of Lake Isenstar, when to her surprise she saw a small group of four Elves running towards. Just seeing them wasn't what surprised her, for she knew Islanzadi had ordered patrols around Gil'ead, just in case them Empire was to launch a counter strike. No, what surprised her was that the leader of the Elves was covered in a thick coat of dark blue fur. _Blodhgarm, _she thought. _But, he is meant to be with the Varden, protecting Shadeslayer._

She waited for them to draw closer. When they got to her, she gave them the traditional Elven greeting, and then asked what they were doing so far from the Varden.

'We were sent by Lady Nasuada to deliver something of great importance to the Elves.' Annoyingly, that was all she could get out of him.

'Do you mind if I run with you Blodhgarm-elda?' she asked, warily. She knew all about Blodhgarm's scent, and quietly muttered a spell to block it from her nose.

'Of course not Evarinya-elda.'

With that she joined the small group as they ran, light as the wind back towards Gil'ead, to give their Queen the mysterious item.

* * *

Nasuada was worried. Although she had allowed every man, women and child in the Varden, and the conquered city of Melian, after swearing oaths to help the Varden of course, to touch the Dragon egg, but to no avail. _I hope it doesn't end up being a case of it going back and forth between the Varden and the Elves for the next twenty years, like Saphira's did, _she thought to herself.

She was still thinking about it many hours later when her chief advisor, Jormunder, came into her tent.

'My lady' he said, as always.

'Yes, what is it?' she snapped, instantly regretting it.

'I'm sorry, should I come back later?' Jormunder asked, in a hurt tone of voice.

'No, no, I'm sorry. It's just the egg. What should we do with it? I am reluctant to send it to the Elves, what if they get ambushed' She almost said _again,_ but refrained.

'My lady, surely it is best to send it to the Elves, the more people who have contact with it, the better, for there lies the greater chance of it hatching.'

'Yes, I suppose you are right. Could you fetch Blodhgarm for me, he is outside.'

'Of course.' With that he left.

Seconds later Blodhgarm entered. Nasuada was almost overcome by his aroma, but remembered what Elva had told her, and managed to block it out.

'You wanted to see me Lady Nasuada?'

'Yes. It concerns the final Dragon egg.'

'My lady, strong as we Elves are, you cannot expect a dozen of us to steal it from under Galbatorix's nose. If you wish me to do that, then I am sorry, but I will leave, and take the others with me.'

'Peace Blodhgarm.' It occurred to her that she had not told him they actually had the final egg. 'I do not wish you to steal the egg form Galbatorix.' He looked as though he wanted to say something, so Nasuada held up her hand to stop him. 'That would achieve nothing, since we already have the egg. Murtagh brought it with him when he left Galbatorix.'

Nasuada smiled as she saw the look of shock on Blodhgarm's normally emotionless face.

'What do you want me to do about it then?' He said, still shocked, 'And why did you not see it fit to share this information with me?'

'Seeing as how Eragon is not here, and will not be for some time, I wish you, and some other Elves, to take this to your Queen in Gil'ead.' As she said it, she retrieved a strong sack from under her bed, and opened it.

Gently, she lifted the egg out from its depths. It was a brilliant green, with many thin white veins criss-crossing its surface. She returned it to the bag, and gave it to Blodhgarm.

'As for why I did not tell you, I wanted it to be a surprise for your Queen when she receives it. I did not want you, or any of your Elves to tell her without my knowledge. Not that I don't trust you 'she said quickly, seeing the accusing look of Blodhgarm's face, 'I just wanted as few people as possible to know we have it.

'Of course' Blodhgarm replied. 'When should I leave, and how many shall I take with me?'

'You should leave as soon as you can, the quicker it reaches Queen Islanzadi, the better, for all concerned. As for how many Elves you should take, would you be happy to take three?'

'As you wish.' With that he disappeared into the night, heading towards the Elves tents.

**Chapter 17**

Evarinya, Blodhgarm and the three other Elves ran light and fast. Despite it being many miles from where Evarinya joined them, it took only half an hour to reach the city of Gil'ead, freshly conquered by the Elven army. When they were a few hundred meters away from the gates Blodhgarm ran ahead and muttered something to one of the guards. The gates were already open when Evarinya and the other Elves reached them.

Just as they had all passed through, and the gates had slammed shut, Blodhgarm stopped the group.

'Evarinya-elda' he started 'It has been long since I, or any of us here' he indicated the other Elves he travelled with, 'have been in Gil'ead, and much has changed since then. Would you please Show us the way to Queen Islanzadi's headquarters.'

'You honour me Blodhgarm-elda, but really it is easy to reach there, you just follow the...'

Before she could finish Blodhgarm cut her off. 'We would prefer not to use main streets. As you have spent at least a week here since the battle, you must surely know something of the city. Could you please lead us there keeping to back alleys as much as possible?'

'Of course Blodhgarm-elda.' Still wondering what he could possibly be delivering of such importance, she set off.

It took longer than she expected to reach the castle which was the Elves temporary headquarters as Blodhgarm made her change direction at least five times, mainly to avoid inquisitive humans, peering through their windows at the sight of five Elves sprinting past. When they finally arrived, Blodhgarm told the guards he needed to see the Queen, and received suspicious glances; obviously the guards knew he was meant to be with the Varden.

Eventually Blodhgarm convinced the guards to let him and the others pass, and they followed a guide through the labyrinth of passages to the room Islanzadi was in. As they went, Evarinya quietly asked the Elves who arrived with Blodhgarm why it was they were there, they only shrugged, Blodhgarm hadn't told them either.

Islanzadi also seemed not to know why Blodhgarm was in Gil'ead, but, despite her obvious impatience to know, she remained silent on the matter until the greetings were over.

'Now, Blodhgarm, tell me why you are here and not protecting the Varden?'

'Your Majesty, Lady Nasuada sent me here, on a mission of great importance.'

'Well...' she said impatiently.

'It...It would easier to show you than to try and explain.' He put down the bag he had kept firmly in his grasp ever since he had left the Varden, and slowly reached down into it. As he raised the object up, everyone in the room gasped in shock. In Blodhgarm's hands was a green dragon egg.

'What...How...But...' Islanzadi seemed unable to speak. Finally she seemed to regain her voice. 'When and how did Nasuada get this?' she stammered.

'She told me that Murtagh brought it with him when he escaper Galbatorix.'

'But, why did she not tell me sooner?'

'She said that the fewer people who knew about it the better.' As he said it, he put the egg down on the table.

Carefully Islanzadi picked up the egg. 'We must do our utmost to ensure this hatches' Then, to one of her guards, she said 'Summon all of the Elves, take them to the courtyard in the centre of the castle.'

She put the egg back on the table, and left the room to talk to a member of her council. Slowly Evarinya walked up to the table, and reached out. Ever so cautiously Evarinya touched the egg, unsure of what to expect. The instant her hand made contact with its surface it started to glow, ever so slightly. Shocked, she pulled her hand away and jumped back. As she landed, Islanzadi looked at the egg, checking to see if anything had happened in the few seconds she had left the room. Evarinya fervently hoped she would not notice the glow. But, though old, Islanzadi's eyes were sharp. Quick as a flash, she turned around to face the Elves.

'Who touched the egg?' She demanded.

Nervously Evarinya stepped forward. 'I...It was m...me, Your Majesty' she stammered.

'Do it again.' Islanzadi's initial fierceness seemed to have diminished, replaced by a sudden curiosity.

'D...Do what?'

'Touch the egg!'

'Nervously, Evarinya reached out and touched the egg again. A sudden squeak broke the silence. Evarinya looked round, puzzled, unsure where the squeak came from. Something squeaked again. This time Evarinya was sure that it came from the egg. She looked up at Islanzadi, expecting to see anger in her wise eyes, but instead was a look of shock.

'What is happening Your Majesty?' Evarinya asked.

Islanzadi did not answer, but continued to look at the egg. It started rocking violently, then stopped just as suddenly as it began. Another squeak, louder than the others emanated from the egg, then a tiny crack appeared in its solid surface. Then another, and another. More cracks appeared, until suddenly, a tiny snout poked its way through a crack. It disappeared, and was replaced by a small, clawed foot, which tore through the shell.

A tiny, green dragon appeared through the hole it had just made. Evarinya looked back up at the Queen, who nodded at her. Carefully she reached out to touch the dragon. The instant her had made contact with it, a sharp pain rushed through her body, like liquid fire coursing through her veins. She fell to floor in agony. After what seemed like hours the pain stopped. She looked at her hand, and saw that in the centre of her palm was her destiny. The Gedwey Ignasia.

**Chapter 18**

Evarinya stared at her palm in shock. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

'Come with me' said Islanzadi. 'We must show you to our people. Bring your dragon.'

Nervously Evarinya held out her hand and the dragon climbed onto it. She followed Islanzadi out of the room and towards the courtyard. As they neared it, Evarinya could hear the Elves talking among themselves; all trying to work out what was going on.

Islanzadi motioned for Evarinya and her dragon to wait outside where she could not be seen, and then she walked out into the courtyard.

The elves instantly stopped talking when they saw their Queen in front of them.

'Atra esterni ono thelduin' Islanzadi said.

As one the elves replied, 'Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr.'

Such was her impatience to tell the assembled elves the news she ignored the third line of the greeting.

'I suppose you are all wondering why I summoned you here, when there is much work and preparation to be done for the coming battles. I also know how you must be disheartened by the loss of Oromis and Gleadr in battle not two weeks ago. However, I bring you great news.

'Last week Murtagh and Thorn, Galbatorix's slaves managed to escape his clutches by changing their true names. When they escaped, they brought the one thing that is most important to Galbatorix. The final Dragon egg in existence.' A gasp ran round the courtyard.

Ignoring the elves shock Islanzadi continued. 'Lady Nasuada, the leader of the Varden, sent this egg to us, after unsuccessfully trying to make it hatch. I received it within the last hour. I was summoned you here to tell you this news, but now, I have even better news. Even as I summoned you, the egg hatched.'

An even longer, louder gasp went round the courtyard. Islanzadi beckoned to Evarinya. Apprehensively she walked in, with her dragon on her shoulder.

'I give you Evarinya, and...' She stopped as she realized the Dragon did not yet have a name. 'Evarinya, what are you going to call your dragon?'

'Um, I don't know.' She thought about it for a minute then nodded. She had explored the mental link between herself and her dragon whilst Islanzadi was speaking, and could now communicate basically, using pictures more than words, with him. 'I will call him Sverdar, for we shall be as sword to strike the dark king.'

Upon hearing this, the congregation of elves started to cheer. Islanzadi beckoned Evarinya and Blodhgarm, leading them out of the courtyard and to a small room where they could talk and not be overheard.

'Blodhgarm, I want you to send the elves that came with you back to the Varden, they are sorely needed there, but I want you to stay, for reasons I will discuss shortly. I will see them personally later, as I have a message I want them to take to Nasuada.' She then looked at Evarinya. 'As for you, your training will begin immediately. Although we have lost Oromis and Gleadr, there is still much you can be taught of magic and fighting. The history and secrets of the Riders will have to wait until Eragon and Saphira return from wherever it is they have gone. Blodhgarm will train you in the subtleties of magic and the Ancient Language, for although you have grown up with them, you cannot know everything yet. As for fighting, I will arrange for someone to help you reach new heights in that. But now, you should rest, as tomorrow, we march for Dras' Leona.'

Evarinya sprinted back to her tent on the outskirts of Gil'ead Sverdar flapping alongside her. When she reached her tent she found some meat on a table, which Sverdar dived upon the instant he saw it. She started to gently tickle his throat, at which he started humming pleasantly. She could feel his emotions through their mental link, which although weak was sufficient for them to communicate using picture and emotions. He seemed happy.

**Chapter 19**

An old man sat in a vegetable garden in the midst of five hill and ancient ruins. He sat, pondering his question. As he sat, he pulled the occasional weed from among the pea plants. His ragged and uncombed beard blew around his face, but never in it, some mysterious, unsaid spell prevented that.

After a while the hermit got up and strolled through the narrow door into the crumbling tower. When he entered the main room, he stopped to gaze at one of the seven scrolls on his wall. He moved past a small window, with the sill covered with small carved wooden animals. He didn't look at them; after all _she_ made them, before she left him.

He lit the fire with a glance, and waited for the pea-filled pot started to boil. Once more he sat, considering the mysteries of the universe. He once more peered at the same scroll as he had moments before. Suddenly realization filled him, the Age of Light was coming, and he would be praised by all in creation.

* * *

Nasuada could not afford such relaxation. It had taken two whole weeks to reach Belatona from Melian. She wondered if taking such a huge detour from Feinster to Melian. Then again, the Varden were now able to ferry much larger wagon trains from Aberon and Cithri. Anyway, that did not matter now; they were camped outside the city of Belatona, setting up the giant siege engines for the coming assault.

* * *

Evarinya had never been so exhausted. She had learned much from Blodhgarm, all of it constantly on the move. Since Sverdar hatched for her two weeks previously, she had not had any time to rest. The day after the hatching the elves left Gil'ead and headed towards Dras' Leona. Over the past two weeks Blodhgarm had taught her many things she had not believed possible before. She had learnt how to control water, kill with a single word and much, much more. A few weeks ago if she had been asked to do these things, she would not have had the raw strength to complete them. Even Blodhgarm seemed surprised by her sudden but steady increase in power. _All because of Sverdar_. She thought to herself. On some occasions she had needed his help to complete the tasks she had been set.

Sverdar's rapid growth had shocked her. In two weeks he had gone from being small enough to perch on her shoulder to standing at elbow height. He had also learnt to speak a few simple words, such as yes, no and her name, which was his favourite word. _Evarinya_ he would repeat incessantly throughout the day. Although it did get annoying, she never lost her temper with the little dragon. His iridescent green scales enchanted her. They seemed to sparkle in the different lights.

Vanir walked towards her. She sighed; her short rest break was over. Ever since he had been defeated by Eragon, he had become greatly respected as a swords master. Because of this Islanzadi decided it would be best if he instructed Evarinya in fighting. Not only did they spar daily, but he also taught her several new moves. She hefted Tamerlein. Lord Fiolr had reluctantly given it to her, but she was his niece, so he did not try to attach unacceptable terms with it. Luckily the sword was perfect for her. The balance was just right, and it felt like an extension of her arm. She got up and greeted Vanir in the traditional manner. To her surprise he did not draw his sword.

'Do you not wish to spar today Vanir-vodhr?'

'Queen Islanzadi told me to let you know we will be at Dras' Leona tomorrow, and that you should rest for today.'

'Very well, thank you Vanir-vodhr' she said, wishing she had received the Queens instructions earlier, before her instruction by Blodhgarm, which had left her exhausted.

She looked over at Sverdar, glad at the chance she could relax and talk to him.

**Chapter 20**

A scout ran up to Nasuada's tent, ignoring the challenge from her guards. Before he could speak two of the Nighthawks charged in and grabbed the scout.

'My Lady, what do you want us to do with him?'

Turning, Nasuada said 'Release him, I want to know what it is that is so important'

Reluctantly the guards let go of him. 'As you wish My Lady.' The guards did not leave the tent however, still wary of the scouts desperation and urgency.

'My Lady' the scout gasped, 'I have just returned from the area around Belatona. The cities gates were open and it appeared deserted.'

'What?' Nasuada exclaimed.

'My Lady, I do not lie. I cautiously went toward the city, and to my shock, I was not challenged as I entered, because there were no guards. As I proceeded through the city I saw that there were very few people remaining. I tried talking to them, but they would not say what had happened. Eventually I found someone willing, or able, to talk, and I was told the Galbatorix had ordered all of the cities soldiers and guards out of there, and had been taken to the defence of Dras' Leona and Uru'baen.'

'This is indeed great news, but it does mean that when we attack those cities, it will be even harder to capture them. You may go.' Then, to one of the Nighthawks she said 'Summon Trianna, I wish to contact Queen Islanzadi.'

'Yes My Lady.' The guards left, and Nasuada was alone in the tent.

* * *

Islanzadi was annoyed. She was trying to organise the elves for the assault on Dras' Leona, and now she was being told Nasuada wished to speak with her, still, it might mean that Arya had returned. She ran to her tent. In the mirror she saw Nasuada standing, talking to someone out of view. Suddenly she realized Islanzadi was there and spun round to face her.

'Atra esterni ono thelduin Islanzadi-svit kona' Nasuada stated.

'Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr.' Islanzadi finished_ I don't have time for this _she thought. 'Why do you wish to talk to me?'

'For several reasons. Firstly, I have great news; Belatona has been deserted, so the Varden will be able to join you at Dras' Leona within a week.'

'That is indeed great news. Is there anything else?'

'Yes. I hope you have received the dragon egg?'

'Yes, I got it several weeks ago.'

'Has it hatched? When Blodhgarm did not return with the other elves, I asked them where he was, but they would not say. I assumed you would only ask him to stay if his help was needed for something.'

'You are correct. The egg did hatch, on the day I received it, to a young elf called Evarinya. I asked Blodhgarm to stay to help train her in magic. Although young, she and Sverdar, her dragon, will be very useful in the coming battles. Now, I must know, is there any news about my daughter and Eragon, they have been gone for several weeks.'

'Your Majesty, as I said last time we talked, I will let you know when they return. We will meet you in front of Dras' Leona within the week. Goodbye.' Before she could leave, Islanzadi started to talk again.

'Wait. Why did you not tell me that Murtagh stole the last dragon egg from Galbatorix when you told me he escaped? We cannot work together without trust.'

'I...I didn't tell you because I wanted there to be another human Rider. But maybe you should follow your own advice? Why did you not tell me that Galbatorix is so strong because of Eldunari? Eragon almost died at the Burning Plains because of ignorance.'

'How dare you talk to me like that' Islanzadi thundered 'How do you even know about Eldunari? They are meant to be a secret known only to the Riders! There was a good reason why this information was not brandied about to everyone.'

'I know about them because Eragon had no choice but to tell me. Oh, and I suppose you should know, Murtagh brought fifteen with him when he escaped Galbatorix.'

_This must end now _Islanzadi thought to herself_ I do not have time for it._ 'We will speak of this further when we next meet_ Lady_ Nasuada.' Her voice was dripping with venom.

'Goodbye, _Your Majesty_' Nasuada adopted a similar tone.

Islanzadi stormed away from her tent and gazed towards the towering pinnacle which was Helgrind. Although she had been angry with Eragon for risking his life to slay the Ra' Zac, she was now grateful he had. She knew that elves were not invincible, and even they would have had a hard time fighting both Ra' Zac and Lethrblaka. She decided to thank Eragon when he returned. She found herself wondering repeatedly_ where did he and Arya go?_

**Chapter 21**

Roran settled into the constant monotony of marching. He started around at the bleak countryside, and shuddered when he spotted Helgrind in the distance. He was glad Katrina was not with him now; she had, after much persuasion by Roran, and many others to convince her to return to Surda with most of the other women in the Varden.

He looked for his friend Cern. Ever since the morning of the assault on Melian he had wanted an opportunity to speak with the magician, as Eragon said he should. Unfortunately he had only been able to snatch a few words every now and then, they had both been too busy, preparing to attack Dras' Leona, or healing the wounded. Eventually Roran saw him making his way through the marching Varden. He shouted to Cern, and he soon made his way over.

'What is it Roran?' The magician asked.

'Before I rescued Katrina, I asked Eragon how to do magic, and he told me how to make a stone float. I couldn't do it then, but he did tell me to see him, or another magician if wasn't there, if I ever did manage.'

'I suppose you are telling me this because you managed it.'

'Yes' Roran replied, 'The morning of the assault on Melian. I have been trying to talk to you ever since then, but haven't had a chance.'

'Ok, show me.'

'What?'

'Show me how you raised a stone using magic.' He bent down and picked up a small stone. 'Here' he gave it to Roran.

'Alright' He took the stone and started to concentrate. 'Stenr Risa'

Nothing happened. Roran furrowed his brows in concentration. He tried again. 'Stenr Risa.' Still nothing happened. 'I...I don't understand, I did do it.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. I really did do it.'

'Roran, you shouldn't dabble in these things. If you accidently do something you are not strong enough for, it will kill you' Cern sounded very serious as he said it.

'I know, Eragon said' _ repeatedly!_

'I don't want you to go and kill yourself before we defeat the Empire, the Varden needs you, and another hundred or so like you.'

'What, so it's fine for me to kill myself attempting magic _after _we defeat Galbatorix?'

'I never said that. But after the war, myself, and other magicians, your cousin included, will be able to help teach you about magic. If you have Eragon with you, there is no way you will be able to kill yourself attempting a spell, unless you try to raise the dead!'

'Why, what happens then?'

'All your energy will flee you, and you will die.'

'But what if you have dozens of magicians, all pooling their strength?'

'Roran. The void is not something to be trifled with. It is a black abyss which cannot be affected by magic. It goes against the very nature of magic.'

'Fine.' With that they both fell silent and sunk back into the monotony.

Three hours later they could clearly see the city, and the Elven camp outside its gates. Another two hours after that and the entire Varden had reached the city, and set up camp on the opposite side to the Elves.

* * *

Nasuada walked round the outside of the city, awestruck by its size. After about half an hour of walking, she arrived at the tent of Queen Islanzadi and, once she had convinced the guards who she was, she went in.

After giving the queen the traditional greeting, Nasuada was about to apologise for the manner in which she spoke the last time they talked, when a guard burst into the tent. In his excitement and hurry he did not give Islanzadi the proper greeting, but just beckoned her and Nasuada to come outside. Breathlessly he pointed at the sky. Nasuada looked up, unsure what she was meant to be looking at. Beside her Islanzadi gasped, and many other Elves started cheering. Their enhanced eyesight allowed them to see what Nasuada did not.

What Nasuada did see on the other hand was a red dragon leap into the air from the other side of Dras' Leona, and, behind her, a small but sturdy green dragon following suit. Both dragons were heading south. After what seemed like hours, but could only have been a few minutes, she could finally see why the Elves were so excited. Flying towards them were two dragons, one large, one small. The green and red dragons soon joined them, turned round, and headed back towards the city. From within, Nasuada heard cries of dismay from the soldiers as they too saw the approaching dragons.

**Chapter 22**

'I am not in Alagaesia Eragon.'

'But where Kuthian-Elda?'

'I and all the other wild Dragons are in the land which humans originated from.'

'How do I get there Kuthian-Elda?'

'I will show you.' A series of images entered Eragon and Saphira's minds.

The images led them south, past Surda, past the islands, and for many, many leagues further. Eragon quickly asked Saphira

'Do you think you can fly that, with nowhere to land?'

'_I can because I must. Besides, we have sixteen Eldunari with us, they can lend me the strength I need.'_

'What is it?' Murtagh asked Eragon.

'We need to go to Kuthian.' He replied.

'But, where is he?' South, a very, very long way south.

'I'm coming with you' Murtagh said bluntly.

'No, you can't. The Varden need you, more than ever now, because I don't know how long I will be gone for.'

Grudgingly Murtagh accepted Eragon's words, for he knew them to be true.

'What about me?' Arya suddenly said.

'You can come if you want to.' Eragon replied, fervently hoping she would, then he would get to spend more time alone with her.

'Of course I want to!'

'Good.' He turned to face Murtagh, 'Murtagh, please can you promise not to tell anyone where we are going. It must remain secret.'

'I promise' Murtagh said in the ancient language.

'Thank you. We should go now.' Eragon said as climbed onto Saphira, and helped Arya up behind him.

'Well, good bye.' Murtagh said as he too climbed onto Thorn.

'Good bye.' With that both dragons left into the air, Thorn heading west back to the Varden, and Saphira going towards south.

Such was Saphira's eagerness to get to Kuthian and the home of wild dragons; it only took a day and a half to reach Reavstone in the southernmost tip of Surda. When they landed Eragon and Arya both made several trips into the town to get as much food and water as Saphira could carry. When all the saddlebags were full, and Eragon and Arya's bags too, they left the city and made camp.

After a great deal of rest, they woke up, saddled Saphira and climbed up. As they were so close to the cliff, she ran straight off the edge in a steep dive. When she pulled out of it, they were only a few metres above the sea. She started to head south.

Eragon and Arya took turns at sleeping over the next week, to make sure Saphira had enough energy and that the other did not fall off. Gradually their supplies of food and water ran out, as did the tremendous energy in the Eldunari, which was used to sustain Eragon and Arya as much as Saphira.

'_Eragon, I cannot continue' _Saphira said to him after a week and a half of constant flying. '_My limbs are tired like never before, and the Eldunari cannot sustain me for much longer.'_

'Don't worry Saphira; we can't be too far away.'

Even as he said it, Arya suddenly shouted. Look, land!' and she pointed south.

'I see it too' Eragon replied.

'_And just in time!'_ Saphira grumbled. '_I might not even be able to take us that far'_

'You will make it Saphira' Eragon said confidently.

Just as he said it, there was a sudden drop in their speed. They started plummeting down, towards the cold, rough seas below.

'Saphira!' Eragon cried with his mind and mouth 'Wake up!'

But she didn't. Quickly Eragon started to pour energy into her, emptying the belt of Beloth the Wise, and giving her a substantial amount from Aren, but nothing worked. They kept on falling, faster and faster until it seemed that there was no way to stop it and they would all die there and then.

**Chapter 23**

Desperately Eragon reached out to all the Eldunari in Saphira's saddlebags, and Aren, and cried '_Letta_' Saphira came to a jerking halt a few hundred feet above the ferocious waves.

'Eragon, what are you doing?' Arya cried from behind him. 'You will kill yourself.'

'Don't worry about me. The Eldunari have strength enough to maintain this for about ten minutes, and I can lower us down to the sea. We can swim to shore if we must.'

'Alright' Arya said. 'But take some this.' She poured energy into him until she felt weak and tired.

'Thank you' was all Eragon could say. He looked around him, and saw, a large shape moving towards them from the distant land. 'What is that?' he said, pointing at it.

'Nothing, it's just a cloud' Arya replied, barely looking up.

'It's moving too fast, and against the wind.'

Suddenly Arya was alert. She started at, perplexed for a while, all the time the shape was moving closer and closer.

'Eragon' she said nervously, 'I think it's a dragon.'

Eragon was so shocked he almost released the magic holding them in place. Once more he tried to wake Saphira, this time she replied, although very faintly.

'_Eragon...what happened?'_

'You fainted, but I am holding us here with magic, and now there is something huge moving towards us.'

Once more Arya said 'I think it's a dragon.'

This time Eragon replied 'It can't be! It's far too big!'

'It must be Kuthian then.'

Before Eragon could reply, the shape had reached them. Eragon froze in disbelief. Towering above them was the largest living thing he had ever seen. Its teeth were as long as Eragon was tall. The spikes along its spine were like trees. Then it spoke to him.

'_ERAGON, I AM KUTHIAN' _its voice reverberated around his head for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually he reached out and touched its mind, and was amazed. Kuthian's consciousness dwarfed even that of the Menoa tree. He found the courage to reply, his voice sounding incredibly faint against the might of the dragon.

'I have come, as you asked Kuthian-elda.' Even as he finished speaking Kuthian had flown beneath them, the hollow of his back right below Saphira.

'_SAPHIRA YOU ARE TIRED LAND ON MY BACK, AND I WILL TAKE YOU TO THE ISLAND OF YOUR ANCESTORS.'_

Gratefully a weary Saphira landed in the enormous hollow. Eragon released the magic which had stopped them from falling with relief, then quickly uttered a spell under his breath so that Kuthian's voice would not be so loud in his, Arya and Saphira's minds.

**Chapter 24**

Eragon was still unable to speak when Kuthian reached the land. It only took half an hour, as Kuthian's wings were so large and powerful. When he landed the ground shook. By that time Saphira had had a drink and some food from her saddlebags. When Eragon and Arya were back on her back, she leaped of Kuthian's shoulder and glided to the ground. Now that he could see Kuthian properly, Eragon was amazed at his size. His legs were like pillars of rock. They were at least as wide as the Menoa tree's trunk, and twice as long. His snout was as long as Gleadr. His eyes were like boulders, but incredibly bright and piercing. One swipe of his giant tail would easily destroy a vast swathe of forest.

He lowered his enormous head until one of his piercing eyes was level with Saphira. Although she normally appeared bug to Eragon, compared to Kuthian, she was like a hatchling.

'_Greetings Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales'_ he rumbled his voice quieter due to Eragon's spell, but still very loud.

'_You came, as I asked you to. I have much to tell you, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. You especially Saphira need to eat and rest, there is a herd of deer in a clearing in the woods over there.'_ He pointed with one of his colossal claws and she took off in that direction. '_As for you Eragon and Arya, there is shelter in a cave at the base of that cliff. You will find water in a stream next to it, and there are fruits in the trees by the stream._'

'Please Kuthian' Eragon said suddenly feeling very small and insignificant next to the behemoth beside to him, 'Could you tell me one thing now, which I must know.'

'_Very well. I will answer one question now; anything else will have to wait for the morning.'_

'I want to know what the Vault of Souls is.' Eragon said immediately.

'_That is the one thing I hoped you would not ask, for I do not think you are ready for that information yet.'_

'Could you at least tell me where it is?'

'_That I can answer, it is high in the Beor Mountains, beyond the reach of all but myself.'_

'Thank you Kuthian-elda' Eragon said, his thirst for knowledge quenched, for the time being, He and Arya ran towards the cliff, and quickly found the cave Kuthian was talking about.

Carefully they went in, unsure what they would find. '_Brisingr raudhr'_ Arya muttered, lighting up the cave with a dark red glow. They looked around, surprised at how deep it was. Eragon turned to leave the cave. Arya gave him a questioning glance.

'I'll go and find some food' he explained.

When Arya was alone in the cave, she started to explore it further. When she reached the back, she realized that there was a corner. She went round. As the light did not reach round the corner, she murmured '_Brisingr, iet tauthr'_, causing the ball of light to follow her as she moved. She rounded another corner, and froze with shock.

'ERAGON' she cried, for in front of her was...

* * *

When he left the cave, Eragon quickly found the stream and trees Kuthian told him about. He stopped at the stream, and filled his waterskin. When it was full, and he had quenched his thirst, he turned to look at the fruit trees. He groaned as he realized that most of the branches were too high for him to reach, even with his enhanced strength and agility. Too tired to use magic, he kept looking at the trees.

Eventually he saw a smaller tree, with reachable branches. He went over to it and started to climb. When he was halfway up, he heard Arya's shout. He dived out of the tree, rolling as he hit the ground, then turned and ran back to the cave. When he entered, he couldn't see Arya, so he called out to her.

'Where are you Arya? I can't see you.'

'I'm at the back of the cave, it goes round a corner.' She shouted back.

Eragon ran towards her voice, almost hitting the wall at the end. He rounded both corners, and saw Arya stood dead still in front of him. He walked up to her. When he saw why she had called, he realized it was from shock, not terror, for before them on the floor was...

**Chapter 25**

Saphira sat in the clearing, contentedly munching on the several deer she had killed. Gradually she could feel her strength returning to her. Looking round the clearing, she saw a stream running round the edge. She leaped over to hit and drunk until she could drink no more. Suddenly, she heard Eragon calling to her in her head.

'Saphira, come quickly, there is something you must see!'

'_Eragon, what is it?_'

'I have to show you.' He flashed an image of where he and Arya were, and she bounded into the air and headed in that direction. When she reached the cave, she was relieved to see that it was large enough for her to fit in. She ran to the back and round the corners. As she saw Eragon and Arya stood deathly still she growled and sprang to their side, but when she realised what they were staring at, she relaxed somewhat, as lying before them on the floor was a clutch of seven dragon eggs.

* * *

Arya nervously walked forward and reached out to touch them.

'Arya, what are you doing?' Eragon exclaimed. But she ignored him, and touched the egg. To Eragon's relief nothing happened. Before he could stop her she touched a second, and a third. When she reached the fifth egg, it started to glow. Excitedly, she touched it again, and it started to squeak and shake. After several minutes cracks started to appear in the shell. Eventually a small clawed foot appeared between to cracks. With a few powerful swipes it ripped apart the shell and a small yellow dragon crawled out, blinking in the sudden light.

'It's beautiful' Arya whispered.

Choosing not to answer her, Eragon said to Saphira 'Do you think Kuthian knew they were here?'

'_I think he knew Eragon, that's why he sent you and Arya here. I think they are eggs from the Riders; Kuthian must have brought them with him when he left Alagaesia, but if they aren't I don't want to be around when the mother comes looking for them!._'

Arya reached out to stroke the tiny creature sat before her, then let out a cry of pain when she was branded with the Gedwey Ignasia.

'What are you going to call it?' Eragon asked when she had recovered.

'I...I don't know' she said, still hurting from her initial contact with her dragon. 'You didn't say it hurt when you got the Gedwey Ignasia. Anyway, I don't know if it's male or female.'

'You never asked me. Saphira can check, can't you?' he asked Saphira.

'_Of course_' Saphira said, to Eragon and Arya.

A minute later she said '_It's a she_'

'Thank you Saphira' Arya said. Then, to her dragon, she said 'dragon, I name you Kveykva'

Over her newly formed mental connection, she felt a pleased sensation, and the dragon started to hum contentedly.

'Eragon, how long will it be before Kveykva can speak to me?'

'It was about five weeks before I could speak to Saphira properly.'

'As long as that?' Arya said, dismayed.

'Don't worry; she will be able to communicate with you using emotions and pictures in a few days. But now, I think you should feed her.'

'With what, we have no meat.'

'_I will get some_' Saphira said to Eragon and Arya as she went back to the front of the cave, and took off in the direction of the deer.

While she was gone, Eragon and Arya, with Kveykva on her arm, walked slowly back to the entrance.

'What should we do with the other eggs?' Arya asked Eragon.

'I think we should leave them, and when we see Kuthian tomorrow, we should ask him about them.'

They sat in silence for several minutes, waiting for Saphira to return. Arya was gently stroking Kveykva, who continued to hum happily. After a while, Saphira did return, with a deer carcass in her claws, which she dropped just inside the cave. Kveykva leapt from Arya's arm and started to tear to it joyfully.

'_Sorry it took so long Eragon, the deer had moved since I left them earlier_.'

'With you around, I'm not surprised! But it doesn't matter Saphira, at least Kveykva is happy.'

When Kveykva had eaten a large chunk from the deer, he could eat no more, and lay on the floor, looking very fat and very pleased. Eragon walked from the cave, telling Arya he was going to get food and firewood.

**Chapter 26**

That night Eragon found it much harder than usual to get to sleep, as on the other side of the fire Arya was excitedly playing with Kveykva. Eventually he managed to block out the noise, and slept restlessly.

The next morning Eragon woke up to see, nothing. He blinked rapidly, rubbed his eyes repeatedly, and then looked again. He could still see nothing, except a wall of white.

'Saphira' he called with his mind.

'_What is it little one' _she replied, sleepily.

'Look!'

'_At what?_'

'Look, outside!'

'_I can't see anything'_

'Exactly'

Saphira became suddenly alert. She got up, but before she could reach the entrance of the cave, white blockade suddenly shifted. In its place was a giant head.

'_Eragon! You woke me because Kuthian was standing in front of the cave'_ Saphira rumbled menacingly.

'I...I didn't know what it was, it shocked me' Eragon replied meekly

'_Eragon, Saphira, wake Arya, and come with me. There is much too...'_ Suddenly Kuthian stopped speaking, and once more stared at Arya. _'Who is that?'_ he asked, continuing to stare at Arya.

'We were going to talk to you about that later.' Eragon said. 'Arya would be annoyed if I told her instead of her.'

'_Very well. I will wake her.'_

Eragon looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. He was not disappointed; she woke with a start, jumping about a foot in the air.

'What? Where? Who?' she cried.

'_It is I, Kuthian. I want to know who that'_ he pointed at Kveykva '_is, and where he came from._'

'Last night...I was exploring the c-cave and I f-found seven d-dragon eggs. K-Kveykva hatched for m-me.' She stammered nervously.

Kuthian laughed a deep, booming laugh which reverberated around Eragon and Arya's heads. '_I am glad you found them. I brought them with me when I left Alagaesia after leaving my Eldunari. I gave them to the Riders, as they were the eggs of one of my mates. I did not expect any to hatch for you though.'_ He thought for a moment. '_Kveykva, it is a good name.'_ He reached out to Kveykva's mind.

Eragon saw the young dragon recoil as the monstrous being before him, whose pupils were much bigger than Kveykva, touched his mind.

After a while, Kuthian spoke again. '_Now we must go. Follow me, and I will tell you all you need to know about how to defeat Galbatorix, and restore the Rider.'_

Excitedly, Eragon gathered his things, and climbed up Saphira's leg, and sat on her saddle. Arya did likewise, with Kveykva on her shoulder. Kuthian leapt into the air, then headed southeast. Saphira followed, taking Eragon and Arya even further from the land they called home. Kveykva roared, although it seemed more like a squeak from Arya's shoulder. Saphira did likewise; her roar reverberated round the forest below.

After what seemed like several hours, but could only have been one or two, Kuthian suddenly dived down, through the clouds. Saphira followed suit. When she burst through the clouds, Eragon saw where Kuthian was heading. Below them was a large plateau in some mountains. The plateau was covered in something, but they were too high to see what they were. When she asked Kuthian what they were called, he replied:

'_They have no name, in this tongue, or any other. They were here before they arrived, and if anyone did know their name, they died long ago.'_

'We? Kuthian-elda' Eragon asked inquisitively.

'_Look_' Kuthian replied simply.

Eragon and Saphira did so, and she almost stopped flapping her wings when she realized what was covering the plateau. _How? _Eragon thought to himself. _I know Kuthian escaped, which I did not expect, but I never though, never dared hope that this might be possible_.

Below them, covering the rugged plateau was...

**Chapter 27**

Kuthian and Saphira continued in their dives, until they pulled out of the dives metres above the uneven ground. Eragon looked behind him at Arya, who was still scared, but less so than the previous time Saphira had done such a huge dive.

'You'll have to get used to dives like that when Kveykva is big enough to ride.'

Arya nodded blankly.

Kuthian landed on the jagged terrain, with such a resounding crash the Eragon feared the surrounding mountains would start to collapse. Fortunately, they didn't, and Saphira was able to safely land next to Kuthian's bulk. Eragon and Arya gazed around in awe. Surrounding them on all sides were dozens, if not hundreds of dragons.

Eragon nervously spoke to Kuthian, 'Kuthian-elda, how did all these dragons escape Galbatorix?'

Before he could answer, Arya tapped his shoulder, and indicated at some dragons behind them. 'Eragon' she whispered. 'Those dragons have saddens on them.'

Eragon gazed at the group of dragons she had indicated. 'They must be the dragons of Riders.'

'Yes, but where are the Riders?'

'I...I don't know. If they died in the fall, surely the dragons would have found some way to remove the saddles. Saphira finds hers uncomfortable, and she wears it for days at a time. I shudder to think what it would be like to have one on your back for a hundred years!'

Before Arya could answer, Kuthian spoke, broadcasting his thoughts so that everyone on the plateau. _ 'My friends. I have called you here today to give you news of hope. As you can see, I am not alone. With me is Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales, and Arya Shadeslayer and Kveykva._

' _Before they arrived, we thought that all hope was lost for our race. But no more. For, although all our females were killed by Galbatorix and the forsworn, there were three eggs remaining. Only one of which, Saphira's contained a female dragon. The other two were male. But that is not all. When Eragon and Arya arrived in our land they discovered a clutch of eggs I brought with me from Alagaesia, given to me by the Riders in the hope that some eggs would survive the fall. One of which, Kveykva, hatched for Arya, and she is female. So all is not lost. But that is not why I summoned you._

'_I know that everyone gathered here knows how we all escaped the fall, except Eragon and Arya. So I will now tell them the tale._

'_As Gleadr told you, when Galbatorix was denied another dragon egg, I left with king Evander of the elves, to Du Fells Nangoroth. Once there I disgorged my Eldunari. Evander wrought a great spell that my Eldunari would be disguised as a boulder, and that only one, the first free Rider after the Fall, would be able to reveal it. Evander created the spell, and I the strength required to do this. Unfortunately, despite my tremendous strength, the enchantment was so great that it dramatically weakened Evander, allowing him to be slain in the final battle of the war in front of the gates of Ilirea._'

Beside him Eragon felt Arya suddenly tense at the mention of the cause of Evander's death, _after all, _Eragon thought, _Evander was her father._

'_When I did this, I collected the seven eggs Oromis and Gleadr left for me in a secluded spot, and headed to the Beor Mountains. Once there, I waited. And waited until the inspiration to use magic filled me. In a diamond on the top of the tallest mountain, I created the Vault of Souls, the purpose of which I will not reveal now, as Eragon and Saphira are not ready for the knowledge._

'_Once this task of mine was complete, I contacted all the wild dragons still alive, for Galbatorix had just started his rampage, and directed them to meet me in what is now Surda. When all who you see here, and more, had met me, I led them south. We flew for almost two weeks, until we found this distant land. At least 30 dragons died in the crossing._

'_But we made it, and shaped these mountains with our fire and claws. This is how we have lived for over one hundred years. But now, things are changing._'

**Chapter 28**

'_Now Alagaesia is at war, fighting to displace the tyrant who forced us, the greatest of beings to return to our ancient homeland. In five weeks, I leave for Alagaesia with Eragon and Saphira. I urge you all to come with to destroy the despot leader._'

Kuthian fell silent. All around them the dragons growled, but if it was in agreement of disgust, Eragon could not tell. When no-one spoke, Eragon quietly spoke to Kuthian.

'Kuthian-elda, who are those dragons?' he pointed at the group of dragons with saddles, 'and why do they have saddles on?'

'_They have saddles on because they are the dragons of Riders_.' Kuthian replied

'But if they are Riders dragons, where are the Riders?'

Before Kuthian could reply, a voice came from behind Eragon. 'We are here.'

Eragon spun round, and before him stood a group of five men and one elf.

'H...how did you escape the fall?' was all Eragon could say.

'We were not at Vreongard when Galbatorix began to destroy our order. We were either with the wild dragons, or alone in the wilderness. When we realized where the wild dragons were going we followed.' The elf replied. 'There is not much left for you and Saphira to learn, but we will teach you what we can. As for you, Arya and Kveykva, there is much to learn in a few short weeks, for when Kveykva is large enough to fly, we leave for Alagaesia.'

Kuthian then spoke to Eragon, Arya, Saphira and Kveykva, '_You should go with the last Riders to escape the fall, as we dragons have much to talk about.'_

Excitedly, Eragon and Arya climbed back onto Saphira, Kveykva leapt into the air, and flew to Arya's shoulder. The Riders also headed for their dragons and took off. Saphira followed them, up into the sky. The elf got onto a magnificent silver dragon, whilst the humans dragons were all a muddy brown.

When they had gone higher than the clouds, Eragon called out to the elf.

'Who are you all?'

'I am Fiol, as for them,' he pointed at the human Riders, 'They either have no name, or do not wish to part with it.'

'_Eragon'_ Saphira said suddenly, '_I do not trust those human Riders. I tried to talk to their dragons, but they did not, or could not reply.'_

Eragon spent the rest of the flight in silence, pondering what Saphira and Fiol had said. Eventually Fiol and the other mysterious Riders dived down through the clouds, and Eragon saw that they were near the cave he and Arya had spent the night. The five human Riders circled above and waited until Fiol and Saphira had landed, then they sped off.

'To wherever it is they spend their time' Fiol explained. 'I've never asked, but they would never tell.'

Fiol and his dragon spent the night in the cave next to Eragon and Arya. It was only then, when Eragon knew no-one could be listening he told Arya what Saphira had told him about the five mysterious Riders.

'I think we should take turns on guard for tonight' she cautioned. 'I'll take the first watch.'

'_No'_ Saphira growled, '_I will do it. I do not need sleep like two-legs do, and my senses are better in the dark than yours.'_

'Very well.' Arya said, and she and Eragon drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

It seemed like they had only just shut their eyes when Saphira woke them with a loud roar.

'_Murder, traitors, egg breakers'_ she cried out with her mind. Eragon quickly grabbed Brisingr and leaped onto Saphira.

'Stay here' he told a sleepy Arya, who just nodded.

Saphira sprang into the air, and headed to the cave where Fiol and his dragon were spending the night. When they arrived Eragon was frozen in shock. The elf was lying dead next to the body of his bloodied silver dragon. Eragon got off Saphira and ran to the dragon. He could see it was still breathing faintly. HE reached out to it with his mind, and asked what happened.

'_I...it was W...Wyrdfell . Th...they a...are m...mad. Du Namar Aurboda' _The dragon spluttered.

Before Eragon could ask what he meant, the dragon followed Fiol into the void. Eragon went back to Saphira, and they slowly walked back to their cave. What they did not see, due to their sadness, was high above them, outlined against the inky black sky, five dragons slowly circling, and then one by one heading north.

**Chapter 29**

'Eragon, what is it?' Arya asked when he got back to the cave.

Eragon merely looked at her blankly. Saphira replied in his place, '_Fiol and his dragon are dead, they were killed as they slept._'

'What! How?' Arya asked

'_I don't know. When we arrived, Fiol was dead, and his dragon was dying.' _She then started keening at the death of another dragon.

'Did you speak to him?'

'_Eragon did, but he hasn't told me what he said.'_

'Eragon!' Arya exclaimed, grabbing him by the shoulders. 'What did the dragon say before he died?'

'H...He said something about madness, Wyrdfell, and Du Namar Aurboda, but he was dead before I could ask what he meant.'

'The Forsworn and the banishing of the names? It can't have been, the forsworn all died long ago.'

'I don't know, but that's what he said.'

'Did you see anything else?'

'No'

'We should tell Kuthian, he will know what to do.'

Eragon nodded. He reached out with his mind, and eventually found Kuthian's huge mind.

'Kuthian' he called with his mind.

'_You should not contact me this way unless it is a great emergency Eragon_.'

'It is Kuthian-elda. Fiol and his dragon are dead, murdered in their sleep.'

At this Kuthian suddenly became alert. '_I am coming to you at once. Stay in your cave until I arrive.'_

'Yes Kuthian-elda.'

'Well?' Arya asked.

'Kuthian is coming to us. He said to wait here until he arrives.'

And they waited. For what seemed like an eternity they waited. Eventually Kuthian did arrive, they heard the powerful beats of his wings long before they saw him, but finally he landed at the entrance to the cave. Eragon and Arya walked up to him.

'_You said Fiol and his dragon are dead' _Kuthian said simply. '_I would like to see their bodies.'_

Eragon did not speak, he just nodded and started to walked to the cave where Fiol and his dragon entered the void. 'They are in there,' he said, pointing into the gaping blackness.

Kuthian lit the cave with a short breath of fire. Immediately Eragon saw the mutilated bodies of Fiol and his once proud dragon.

'Kuthian, you should know, before the dragon died, he said something to me.'

'_What did he say?'_ Kuthian growled.

'Something about madness, Wyrdfell and Du Namar Aurboda.'

'_It can't have been the forsworn.'_ Kuthian said, echoing Arya, '_They all died in Alagaesia.'_ Kuthian fell silent, thinking. '_I think he meant that traitors to our race, some who were affected by Du Namar Aurboda, which would explain the madness, ambushed them in their sleep. This would explain why those five mysterious Riders never spoke, and neither did their dragons. I can smell them in the air. They must still be nearby.'_

Kuthian lit the sky with a brilliant burst of flames from his maw. In the sudden light, Eragon could see, very faintly in the distance, five shapes in the half light heading north, back to Alagaesia.

'We must go after them!' Eragon exclaimed. 'If they reach Alagaesia, the Varden are doomed.'

'_No'_ Kuthian said. '_We cannot. You cannot. Kveykva is too young to be any aid in the war. We must wait until he is grown enough for Arya to ride him.'_

Although it pained him Eragon knew Kuthian was right. '_I will stay and guard you for tonight. But I don't think we will see those Riders again in this land.'_

And so they waited. Over the next four weeks, Kveykva grew and grew, until he was large enough for Arya to fly him for short distances. Eragon was surprised at how quickly Kveykva grew, much faster than Saphira did when she first hatched. When he asked Kuthian, his reply was:

'_It is the magic of the dragons. When Saphira hatched, she was one of only two dragons in the entirety of Alagaesia. Kveykva is in a land filled with hundreds. Their presence alone allows her to grow much quicker than Saphira. Also, Saphira herself has grown considerably in the short time she has been here.'_

Eragon looked at Saphira, and knew Kuthian was right. She had grown at least two feet in length, and one in height, and now Eragon found it increasingly difficult to climb onto her back without her assistance.

Eventually the time came when Kuthian decided it was right to return to Alagaesia. Eragon and Arya spent a couple of days collecting food and water, for themselves and their dragons. As Kuthian was accompanying them, they could take far more, and tie it to his immense back. The day before they were to leave, Kuthian left them for several hours, and returned with three wild dragons. He explained that the three who accompanied him were the only dragons who wished to return to Alagaesia, although, he said, others would come when Galbatorix was destroyed.

When the morning of their arrival came, Eragon checked and double checked all Saphira's saddlebags, to make sure he still had all the Eldunari, and the six remaining dragon eggs. He mounted Saphira, and Arya did the same to Kveykva. Eragon had helped Arya to make a saddle for Kveykva as soon as she was old enough to ride. The two dragons ran out of the cave, and hurled themselves into the air, joining Kuthian and the wild dragons who circled above. Kveykva let out a roar, and all the other dragons, except Kuthian, responded in like, their fierce cries ringing out over the mountains and forests below.

**Chapter 29**

Galbatorix sat on his dark, imposing throne. It stood 3 meters high, and at the top was a carving of a pouncing dragon. His throne room was at the top of the tower, so there was one window on each side, north, south, east and west. There was also a staircase in one corner with access to the roof of the tower.

He was bored. Ever since Murtagh had somehow escaped him, he had no Riders as allies, yet his enemies had three. _Two_ he reminded himself _Eragon and Saphira have disappeared._ Suddenly a messenger burst into the room.

'Your majesty' He gasped bowing as the king demanded of all his servants and slaves.

'What is it?' Galbatorix toyed with the idea of killing the man, but decided against it,_ for now_.

'My lord, there are five dragons approaching from the south!'

Without a second thought, Galbatorix killed the man wordlessly. _He must have been lying, there are four dragons in the whole of Alagaesia, and one is in the room next to me._ He sat for a while, then his curiosity got the better of him. He walked up to the window which faced south. To his surprise, there really were five dragons flying towards his citadel. They were all a murky brown in colour. He watched for a while, as they got closer, then landed in the courtyard below his tower. Now they were in the ground, he could see that all the dragons were almost as large as Shruiken, and all the Riders were human.

'Shruiken' He called with his mind. He then went and stood on the top of his tower, waiting for his twisted black dragon to arrive. He didn't have to wait long. He saw Shruiken dive from the window, turn and flap up to him. He clambered up his scaly leg, and sat on the ever-present saddle. Shruiken dived from the top of the tower.

'I have missed this' Galbatorix said, surprising Shuriken 'We should do this more often.'

Shruiken merely growled in consent. Although he had been with Galbatorix for over one hundred years, it was not willingly or happily.

Shruiken glided down and landed before the strange brown dragons who waited in the courtyard.

'Who are you, and where did you come from?' Galbatorix called from Shruiken's back, glad he had his dark sword, and five Eldunari, with him.

'We have come from a distant land to serve you,' one, who appeared to be the leader of the strange group called back.

'What distant land? I know of nothing of any other land. And where did you get dragons from?'

'We were Riders before the fall, but we escaped your slaughter, because we were with the wild dragons. Know this though, if we were not with the wild dragons, we would willingly have joined your cause When the wild dragons left, we were forced to go with them.'

'What wild dragons? I killed them all.'

'Ha. You only killed the females and some males. Most of them left weeks after the council denied you a second egg. We flew south with them for a week or more, until we chanced across another, deserted land.'

'But how did you know I was still alive, or even requiring your service?'

'Because one named Eragon Shadeslayer and a blue dragon, called Saphira, came to our land, to visit the leader of the wild dragons, Kuthian.'

'That would explain where they have been for the last few weeks.'

'Also, there was an elf, who had a dragon hatch for her after she arrived, and before we left.'

_Damn, that means even more Riders against me. _ 'But why did you come?'

'Because there was another.'

'What do you mean?'

'There was an elf who escaped your slaughter. He came with the wild dragons willingly. He was going to teach Eragon and Saphira much that they could use to destroy you. We killed him and his dragon as they slept. We had to leave, else we would have been torn apart by the wild dragons.'

**Chapter 30**

Eragon and Saphira flew alongside Kuthian and Arya and Kveykva for many days. It took longer than the first journey, as, despite Saphira having fewer passengers, they had to go slower for Kveykva. Kveykva and Arya spent as much time resting in the hollow of Kuthian's back as flying alongside them. When Eragon or Saphira were hungry, they landed on Kuthian's back, and ate what they needed from the bags tied to his spikes.

Finally Eragon could see the southernmost shore of Alagaesia.

'_Now I will leave you´ _Kuthian suddenly said.

Eragon was shocked by this, 'I thought you would be staying with us, helping us to defeat Galbatorix. Why are you leaving us now, of all times?'

'_Because I must. Anyway, I am not going far, just to the Vault of Souls.'_

'Where is that Kuthian-elda?' Eragon asked, suddenly interested, 'and why'

'_I have told you before, the Vault of Souls is high in the Beor Mountains. I go because I must prepare it for opening. When you need the power within the Vault, come to me.'_

'But how will I know?'

'_You will know.'_ Even as he said that, he flew off north-east, towards the distant peaks of the mountains.

'Eragon, we should continue to the Varden' Arya called across from Kveykva.

'Alright, but first we must find out where they are.' He called back, then, to Saphira he said; 'Saphira, how far from Reavstone? We need to stop for supplies, and to find out where the Varden are now.'

'_I agree'_ She said back. '_We are about 20 miles away from land, and about five miles east.'_

'OK.' Eragon replied, then relayed this information to Arya.

They flew on in silence until they were a couple of miles away. 'Arya' Eragon called, 'Meet us on the other side of Reavstone, and don't get seen!'

'Alright, but tell me why.' She called back.

'Because the people of Surda know Saphira and me. Who knows how they would react to Kveykva.'

'That makes sense, but I will not go far, and if you are not back quickly, I am coming for you.'

Eragon nodded, and Saphira dived towards Reavstone. They landed in the courtyard of the castle, much to the surprise of the remaining guards.

When they realised who had landed, they called out 'Greetings Shadeslayer'

'Greetings' he called back. 'Who is in charge here?'

'That would be Lord Wolfstone Shadeslayer.'

'Can you take me to him? And fetch Saphira some food?'

'Yes sir.' One guard ran off towards what Eragon assumed was the kitchens, judging from the pleasant aroma emanating from it. The other opened the door and led Eragon in. They went along many corridors and through many doors, until they eventually reached a large carved door.

'Lord Wolfstone is in there sir.' The guard said. Eragon entered without knocking, interrupting a meeting of various important people of the city.

'What gives you the right to barge in, unannounced?' a tall man said, standing up and staring at Eragon. He had a large embroidered cape on his back, and Eragon assumed he was Lord Wolfstone.

'I can because I am Eragon Shadeslayer, and I am a dragon Rider' Eragon said simply, enjoying the look of shock on the man's face. 'I have come to ask where the Varden are, so I may rejoin them to destroy the king.'

'S...sorry Shadeslayer. I...I didn't realise it was you. The V...Varden are camped out...outside Dras' Leona' Lord Wolfstone stammered.

'Thank you' Eragon replied, and walked out.

He found his way back out of the castle, and mounted Saphira. They flew west a short distance, until they could see Arya and Kveykva sat in a clearing. Saphira roared in greeting. Arya jumped up onto Kveykva's back, and they leapt into the air and joined Eragon and Saphira.

'The Varden are besieging Dras' Leona.' Eragon called out to her.

Arya nodded, and they flew north-west in silence. Two days later they could see the smoke from Dras' Leona. As they neared the city, Eragon saw tents all around it, then, from the south side, a bright red dragon leaped into the air and flew towards them. _Murtagh and Thorn _Eragon thought, _At least they are still alive._ Then, much to his surprise, a brilliant green dragon also jumped into the air, from the north side of the city, and flew towards them.

'The green egg hatched!' Eragon shouted to Arya gleefully.

Before she could reply, the green dragon roared in greeting, Thorn followed suit, and Saphira and Kveykva roared back.

**Chapter 31**

'I wonder who the egg hatched for' Eragon asked Saphira.

'_Let's find out!'_ And she dived towards the young dragon.

When they were close enough to speak the green dragon and Rider, Eragon called 'Who are you?'

'I am Evarinya, and this is Sverdar' a young elf called back. 'I suppose you are Eragon Shadeslayer'

'Yes, how did you know?'

'Everyone knows of you and Saphira, you were once our only hope for destroying the king.'

They hovered for a while, waiting for Arya and Murtagh to re-join them, then they all flew back to the city. Saphira roared, and the other three dragons replied in like, their roars echoing around the land. Eragon grinned as he heard cries of fear from within the city.

'Maybe they will surrender now they know we are here' he said to Saphira.

'_You never know little one.' _

After a few minutes of gliding, the four dragon landed in the elves camp, near the tent of queen Islanzadi. She was on the other side, and when she knew they had landed, she came running round the corner. She froze with shock when she saw Arya on Kveykva.

Quickly, Eragon, Arya and Evarinya performed the Elven greeting.

When they had finished, Islanzadi was the first to speak. 'Where have you been for the last month and a half? She roared. 'And where did that come from?' She pointed at Kveykva.

'She hatched for me mother.' Arya said coldly. 'We found a dragon egg.' Eragon was pleased to see she did not mention the other six.

'But where could you find a dragon egg?' Islanzadi asked. Before Arya could speak, Eragon answered.

'With Kuthian your majesty.' He hoped she would know who Kuthian was, as he did not want to tell more people than necessary, not now at any rate.

'Kuthian...?'

Eragon sighed 'She doesn't know' he said to Saphira.

'_Then tell her' _came his reply.

'Kuthian was in the home of wild dragon.' Eragon said slowly.

A gasp of shock ran round the gathered elves.

'If you were with wild dragons, why did none come with you?' Islanzadi asked, seemingly annoyed that someone knew something she didn't

'Because they have lost any interest in affairs of Alagaesia.' Eragon replied, not wanting to tell her of Kuthian and the other two wild dragons that came with them, and were even now high in the Beor mountains.

At that moment, Nasuada came running breathlessly towards Eragon and Arya.

'Where were you?' she stormed, 'and why didn't you tell anyone when you would be back?'

'It's nice to see you too my lady' Eragon replied sarcastically. Seeing the look on her face, he hurriedly continued. 'We were in the home of wild dragons, summoned by their leader Kuthian.'

Before she could reply, horns rang out all round the city, and several messengers ran up to Islanzadi and Nasuada. The first to arrive said, breathlessly, 'My lady, five dragon are approaching form the west.'

Eragon turned in shock. 'It can't be!' he said to Arya and Saphira with his mind. Nervously he looked up, and saw, in the distance, five muddy brown dragons rapidly winging their way towards the city.

**Chapter 32**

'What did you say your names were?' Galbatorix asked the five Riders before him.

'We didn't. And we would prefer not to tell you. As for our dragons, Du Namar Aurboda affected them as well, as, despite not being traitors to the dragons at the time, they were plotting it.'

'Fine, have it your way.' He said quietly.

A puzzled look came across the face of the lead Rider. 'What did you say?'

'_Letta' _Galbatorix cried, holding the Riders in place. He relied on both Shruiken's, and some of his vast collection of Eldunari to maintain the spell whilst he concocted an unintelligible spell under his breath. Whilst the Riders were all still held in place with his first spell, one by one the names came to him. '_Shur'tugal abr Anglat, Shur'tugal Knifr, Shur'tugal Thornessa, Osthato Shur'tugal _and _Shur'tugal abr Zar'roc.'_ He said, loudly enough for the Riders to hear him, but not so loud that anyone looking at the spectacle in the courtyard could hear. One by one, the Riders heads snapped up and stared at him.

Galbatorix laughed, he laughed because he knew they were under his complete control. He laughed because now his wrath would be unstoppable. And he laughed because now he had powerful slaves, far more powerful the Murtagh and Thorn ever were, and far more loyal. It reminded him of when he had his thirteen disciples, the original Forsworn, and even they would have trembled before the might he had assembled before him.

'Shur'tugal abr Anglat' he commanded, 'tell me exactly when you became Riders, and how old your dragons are.'

Unwillingly, the lead Rider opened his mouth and obeyed Galbatorix's command. 'My King' he said. 'We are brothers, all born on the same day. When we reached twenty, nearly one hundred and fifty years ago, we were allowed contact with dragon eggs. By sheer coincidence, the Riders had received a clutch of five eggs just a few weeks previously. They did not expect any to hatch so soon after they were laid. But they did. One for me, and each of my brothers. Such a thing had never happened before.'

'Wait' Galbatorix interrupted, 'My first dragon hatched for me one hundred and twenty years ago, why did I not hear of you?' He surprised even himself, he did not usually reveal much about his past, especially not about events before the Fall.

'After ten years of training' the Rider continued, as though nothing had happened, 'We were about to be taught the greatest secrets of the Riders, things that were only known to a few, things you yourself probably don't know about. But before we could learn these secrets, we were required to go on a mission of utmost secrecy, to wipe out the Urgals, once and for all. Unfortunately, we failed, as you probably realise. But in our failing, we realised how corrupt and terrible the Riders truly were.

'Before we were sent, we believed that Riders were almighty, benevolent leaders, but that mission showed us what they truly were. We were going to let all of Alagaesia know about how we were manipulated, forced even to destroy the Urgals, which was made even worse by the fact it was an unprovoked attack. Unfortunately, one of the elders realised what we were going to do. We went from being hailed as future leaders of the Riders, to their secret shame. We were sent to spend eternity with the wild dragons, where it was perceived we could do no harm.

'Several years later, we heard of your attack on the Riders, and tried our best to join you, as those years in exile twisted us, made us hate the Riders with every fibre of our being. However, the wild dragons stopped us, we were forced to leave with them, and spent one hundred years in an even greater exile than before.'

When the other Riders collaborated his tale, Galbatorix released the magic holding them in place. He then made them swear oaths to him in the ancient language, invoking their true names when he needed to. He bound them far tighter than Murtagh and Thorn, he wasn't taking any chances this time. When he was satisfied with their oaths, he told a slave to take them to their rooms, a slave he then killed as he was bored again.

He waited, until one day, several weeks later, a messenger requested an audience with him. He allowed the man in, as he was still bored.

'My King' the man said, bowing. When no reply seemed forthcoming, he continued. 'I was sent to you by the governor of Dras' Leona, he begs for you to send aid to our city. We are surrounded by Elves and the Varden, and there are two dragons which prowl around our walls by day, and attack us by night. We have also heard rumours of two more dragons flying towards our city from the south, and three dragons circling the Beor Mountains. Please my Lord, help us.' The messenger then stood, trembling as he feared the kings wrath.

'You can expect help in three days' Galbatorix said. _ Now I can test my new Riders_ he thought to himself. He debated whether or not to kill the messenger, but decided against it, as he had heard nothing of dragons in the Beor mountains.

When the messenger left, he picked up a mirror and said '_Draumr kopa'_ whilst thinking of the Beor mountains. _As I thought, nothing_. He was about the end the spell, when the view was obscured by a giant white blur. _I must have imagined it_, and he cut off the magic.

Two days later, he summoned his Riders, and commanded them to go and aid with the defence of Dras' Leona. He finished with 'But if it seems the city will be lost, or one of you dies, return at once.' _After all, I don't want to waste them! Yet._

**Chapter 33 (Joke)**

'Eragon, it's those Riders who killed Fiol' Arya said suddenly.

'They must have left to join Galbatorix.' Eragon replied, then to Saphira he said 'Are you ready?'

'_Yes' _Was her reply. '_Murders. Traitors!'_ Saphira broadcasted her thoughts so the Riders could hear her.

Eragon climbed onto Saphira, and they were about to take off, when Rhunon stopped them. 'Then, 'Wait' she said, 'I need to get something' She started to head to her tent, when she turned and said sternly, 'and that goes for all of you.'

Eragon exchanged a puzzled look with Arya. 'I wonder what she wants us to wait for.'

They didn't have to wait long, within five minutes Rhunon was back, she had borrowed from another elf. Clutched in her hand was a large sack. When she was next to Saphira, she dismounted, and reached into the sack.

'Here you go' she said, giving Eragon, Arya, Murtagh and Evarinya a paintball gun each, and several hundred paintballs.

Eragon looked at the paintball gun in his hand 'What should I do with this? He asked her.

'Those dragons are such a boring colour. I want you to give them some colour, by using these.' She reached into the sack again, and withdrew a can of spray-paint, and put it in one of Saphira's paws, so the middle claw would fire it. She repeated this with Saphira's other front paw, then with Thorn, Sverdar and Kveykva. 'Now go' she finished with.

Still in shock, Eragon and Saphira took off, followed rapidly by Thorn, Sverdar and Kveykva. Thorn roared as they approached the other Riders, a sentiment which was echoed by the other dragons.

When they were within shouting distance, the lead Rider called out to Eragon, 'You have made your choice. It was the wrong one. You will die.'

Eragon said nothing in reply, but brandished his paintball gun, and started firing. Immediately the others started to do the same, and the sky quickly became full of a hail of paintballs. Some hit the Riders, splatting their armour in a rainbow of colours. Their dragons were similarly affected, their turning them from a dull brown to a polka dot pattern in seconds.

Before Eragon could reload for a second salvo, the Saphira crashed into the lead dragon. Instead of tearing at it with her teeth and claws, she used the spray cans at her feet to cover large patches of the dragon with colour. Kveykva, Thorn and Sverdar also did the same to the dragons they attacked.

When Eragon eventually managed to reload his gun, he took a careful aim at the fifth Rider, who was hanging back from the rest of the group, and had somehow managed to avoid the worst of the paint. Despite rolling around on Saphira's back, he managed to keep a steady aim. He shot a paintball, and it span through the air, hitting the Rider square between the eyes. He was immediately knocked unconscious. Eragon then aimed his dragon, and squeezed off two shots. One for either eye. The dragon screamed, both mentally and orally, in agony, and desperately tried to reach its eyes with its claws. Whilst trying to clear the paint, it forgot to flap, and plummeted from the sky, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. When they realized what had happened, the four surviving Riders turned and fled towards Uru'Baen, expect now they, and their dragons, were a rainbow of colour.

**Chapter 33 (real)**

'Eragon, it's those Riders who killed Fiol' Arya said suddenly.

'They must have left to join Galbatorix.' Eragon replied, then to Saphira he said 'Are you ready?'

'_Yes' _Was her reply. '_Murders. Traitors!'_ Saphira broadcasted her thoughts so the Riders could hear her.

Eragon and Saphira took off, followed rapidly by Thorn, Sverdar and Kveykva. Thorn roared as they approached the other Riders, a sentiment which was echoed by the other dragons.

When they were within shouting distance, the lead Rider called out to Eragon, 'You have made your choice. It was the wrong one. You will die.'

Eragon said nothing in reply, but brandished Brisingr and said its name, causing the sword to erupt in blue flames. Eragon could see the shock on the Riders face, which quickly turned to a snarl of hat.

'That sword will look nice on my wall' he taunted urging his nameless dragon forward.

Before Eragon could react, Saphira crashed into the dragon who was flying at them. She started tearing at it with her teeth and claws. The dragon howled with pain as his wing was almost ripped from his body. The Rider quickly muttered a spell, healing the wing before any permanent damage was caused. Kveykva, Thorn and Sverdar also started tearing at the dragons they attacked.

Eragon and the Rider traded rapid blows with their swords. He noticed that the Rider had a normal blade, instead of the traditional Riders sword.

'_I wonder why...'_ he asked Saphira.

'_It doesn't matter right now, but remember what Rhunon told you when you mentioned the Falchion to her.'_ Saphira did not need to say any more. Eragon cut the magic creating the flames around his sword, and started to double the strength of his blows, slowly weakening the Riders defence.

Just as it seemed that he had no strength left in his sword arm, he felt a change, the metal was weakening. Eragon summoned all his considerable Elven strength, and put it into that one blow. His effort paid off, the sword shattered in the Riders hand, the fragmented blade falling towards the ground, leaving the Rider holding a useless hilt.

The dragon pushed away from Saphira, so Eragon pulled out his bow, he took a careful aim at the fifth Rider, who was hanging back from the rest of the group, and had somehow managed to avoid the fighting. Despite rolling around on Saphira's back, he managed to keep a steady aim. He shot a single which span through the air, hitting the Rider square between the eyes. He was immediately kill immediately as the arrow tore through his head. His dragon howled, an agonising, torturing howl. Eragon strung two arrows and aimed at the dragon which was flying towards him and Saphira, meaning to exact his revenge even if it killed him. When the dragon was almost upon them, Eragon fired, the arrows sped through the air, and tore into their target, the dragons eyes. The dragon screamed, both mentally and orally, in agony, the was silent. His the rapid beating of his wings slowed, and then stopped. The dragon plummeted to the ground, hitting it with a sickening thud. The other Riders suddenly realized what had happened, the turned and fled towards Uru'Baen.

Sverdar roared a mighty victory roar, only to have his cries drowned out by those of Saphira and Thorn, who roared fiercely at the fleeing dragons.

'Should we chase them?' Evarinya asked.

'No' Eragon replied, 'we should not exhaust ourselves following them, and anyway, they would probably try to lead us to Galbatorix, so it is safer to stay here. But I don't think that that's the last we will see of them.'

**Chapter 34**

As they flew back towards Dras' Leona, Eragon thought he saw a sad look in Murtagh's face, but it was so brief he ignored it.

They quickly covered the distance to the city, and landed in the Elven camp, near where Islanzadi and Nasuada were standing.

'What happened?' Nasuada demanded, 'And who were those Riders?'

'They were the Forsworn' Eragon replied, tiredly.

'What!' Nasuada exclaimed 'How? The Forsworn are all dead.'

Eragon smiled, reminded of how he questioned everything and anything when he was being taught by Brom or Oromis. 'They were living with Kuthian and the wild dragons.'

'But that doesn't explain why they were here, and why you called them Forsworn.'

'If you let me finish' Eragon said, annoyed.

Nasuada nodded meekly 'Sorry.' She said.

'I don't know why they were with the wild dragons, but they were not alone. There was another Rider, who we met there. He was called Fiol, and those Riders killed him and his dragon as they slept. They disappeared, so they must have returned to join Galbatorix.'

Eragon looked round, and again he thought he saw a glimmer of sadness, or even regret in Murtagh's face. But before he could ask Saphira what she thought it might be, Murtagh said 'I'm so sorry Eragon.' He said it so quietly Eragon wasn't even sure he heard it.

Murtagh leapt off Thorn, landed behind Arya, drew Zar'roc from its sheath and put it to her throat.

'No! What are you doing?' Eragon cried, slowly walking towards him and Arya, his hand on the hilt of Brisingr.

'Stay back Eragon' Murtagh warned. 'Now give me the Eldunari.'

Arya tried to say something, but Murtagh muttered a spell to stop her from opening her mouth.

'What are you doing?' Eragon asked again.

'He made me...' Murtagh seemed to try and say more, but for some reason he couldn't. His mouth was moving, but no sound came out. 'Give them to me.' He said again.

Eragon backed away, and said to Saphira '_Should I give them to him?'_

'_I see no alternative, unless you wish Arya to die. But don't give him Gleadr's Eldunari, just the ones he gave us.'_

'_Alright'_ Eragon reached in Saphira's saddle bags, and carefully withdrew the bag containing all the Eldunari Murtagh had given them, he was glad he had kept Gleadr's separate from the others.

'Put them on the floor, just there' Murtagh indicated a spot near Thorn with the tip of his sword.

Eragon gently placed the bag on the floor, then backed away, trying not to do anything to risk Arya's life. When Eragon was a good distance away from the bag, Murtagh slowly walked with Arya towards it and Thorn. With his free hand he reached down and put the bag in one of Thorn's saddle bags.

It seemed that Murtagh was about to get on Thorn and fly away, leaving Arya safely on the floor, when Eragon felt Islanzadi tense beside him. Sensing what she was about to do, he put his arm out in front of her. But he wasn't fast enough. With surprising speed, Islanzadi drew her sword and walked forward, closing the ground between her and Murtagh.

'Let her go' Islanzadi said slowly.

'I can't, he won't let me' Murtagh replied sadly. Keeping Zar'roc to Arya's throat, he climbed onto Thorn.

Islanzadi kept walking towards Murtagh and Arya.

'If you come any closer, I will kill her.' Murtagh cautioned.

Islanzadi didn't seem to hear him, as she kept walking.

'I have no choice' Murtagh released Arya and pushed her forwards. For an instant Eragon thought she would be alright, then he realised that Zar'roc was poking through her chest. Kveykva howled in agony as she felt the pain Arya felt.

'Nooooo!' Eragon cried as he ran forwards to Arya's side.

In the confusion Murtagh jumped back onto Thorn, and they flew off together. Eragon felt a strange presence touch his mind, then he realised it was Murtagh. '_I'm so sorry'_ he said again, then the presence disappeared.

Eragon cradled Arya in his arms. 'You can't die' he said repeatedly, although he knew her wound was fatal 'You can't die'. All around him, people were running, screaming, Kveykva was still howling, but he was oblivious to them all.

He heard a faint voice from Arya. 'Eragon...I love you.' And she was gone.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' he cried. 'You can't die, not now!' Then, madly, Eragon reached out with his mind. He reached out to every elf, dragon and human around the city, and started to draw energy from them.

Saphira realised what he was doing. '_No Eragon! Remember what Brom told you, you'll kill yourself, and everyone in and around the city.'_

But he ignored her. Summoning all the strength he could, he said 'Waise heill.'

* * *

The old hermit was sat in the single room of his tower. He had been sat in the same position for almost two weeks, not moving at all. He had summoned food from his garden, and then cooked it, with magic. All that time he had been debating in his mind if he was doing the right thing. He thought about his options again. He could say it, and usher in the age of light, and be praised by all creation, or he could forget it. He did not know how risky it would be. He wanted to be praised, hailed as the greatest living being, greater than a God. If he said it, he would be greater than a God, greater than all the Gods.

But he was afraid. He was afraid what might happen if he had it wrong. Would it consume all his energy, and consign him to the void? Or would it cause a great calamity, the like of which hadn't been seen since that which caused the binding of magic.

He wanted to be known by all, not to die in obscurity, not having had contact with another living person since that strange man had visited him, many moons earlier.

He sat for another hour, thinking. Eventually his desire to be known and respected overcame his worries. He was going to say it. He got up from his chair, and slowly walked up to the top of his tower. He walked slowly as he didn't know if he went to his death.

It was fitting he said it here, of all places, after all, this was the tower where it all began. He reached the top of the tower. Despite the time of day, there was a dark cloud overhead. A tremendous rumble of thunder shook the ground. The hermit stood in the centre of the tower, facing the wind, which blew his hair out behind him, and split his beard, half blowing down either side of his face. He raised his arms to the maelstrom. A fork of lightning split the sky. Then he said it. He said the name of the ancient language

**Chapter 35**

The instant he said it, he knew he had power. Real power, not false power like the king. He had power the king could never had. He knew instantly he had the power to change _everything_. But there was one thing he wanted to change more than any other. He wanted to bring her back. She was the only person who _understood_ him, his desire for answers, and his need to be known.

Feeling giddy with the power he had, he jumped from the top of the tower, halting his fall with magic, then gently he gently lowered himself to the floor near her grave, just beside his vegetable garden.

He then used magic to dig down into her grave. It didn't exhaust him like it would a normal person, as he had all the power in the world. When he reached her coffin, he raised it with magic. He madly opened it, and stared down at his beloved.

He used his newfound control over magic to get the power he needed to do it. He muttered a spell, a spell to raise the dead. As he finished it, what he saw amazed him. What was seconds before a crumbling skeleton now had flesh growing on it in all places. After only a minute, her skin was back to what it was when she died. Then her eyes snapped open. She slowly raised herself so that she was sitting in her coffin.

_____________

Galbatorix was sat on his throne, tired and bored. He was waiting for the five Riders to return. He had also been scrying the Beor Mountains, trying to find out if the messenger had been telling the truth about dragons in the mountains. He was idly moving and burning various objects without speaking the words of magic, when he felt a sudden shift. Unexpectedly, the chair he had lifted fell to the floor. He tried to lift it again but nothing happened. He then tried speaking the words.

'_Risa' _he said, putting all his strength, and that of several nearby Eldunari, into thinking of lifting the chair. To his great relief, it lifted, slowly at first, wobbling slightly, then it rose steadily until he stopped it.

_____________

Eragon felt his strength falling rapidly, as dozens of the beings who's strength he was drawing on fainted or died. He blocked such thoughts from his mind, and continued with the spell, desperate to heal Arya.

As the seconds drew into minutes, Eragon felt as though he was the only person sustaining the magic, so great was the toll on his strength. But he was not alone. He was still drawing strength from the Elves and dragons around him. Dozens of the humans he had taken strength from had died. Eragon felt each and every one of their deaths, though it did not bother him, so desperate was he to heal Arya. But he did attempt to stop drawing their strength when they seemed to be on the brink of life. He was not always successful, but most were cut off in time.

Eragon looked around him, and saw Islanzadi crawl along the floor until she was next to him. 'Stop it' she ordered, 'You'll kill us all'

Eragon ignored her and continued the spell. Five minutes later, he, and the three dragons, were the only conscious beings within a mile of him. Everyone else had fainted with the toll on their strength, but he continued. When it seemed as though he too would faint and pass into the void, there was a sudden shift. Eragon felt his strength gradually return, so little it was barely more than a trickle, but it was definitely returning. Eragon looked down at Arya, his glowing hand was over the wound. A light so bright it almost blinded him was being emitted from his Gedwey Ignasia. Something primal instinct told him to move his hand, so he did, bracing himself for the sight of Arya's horrendous wound.

But it wasn't there. Her skin looked as though it had been drawn over the gaping hole, and was even now being sewn back together. Eragon felt her back with his other hand, and the same was happening there as well. Suddenly, Arya's eyelid popped open, and she gasped for breath, as though she had spent a hundred years underwater and was desperate to taste the air again. She stared around, and saw dozens of Elves, including her mother, lying limp on the floor.

She slowly turned her head towards Eragon, and stared deep into his eyes. 'What have you done?' she said faintly, then she fainted.

Eragon reached out to Saphira with his mind. '_Are you alright?'_ he asked nervously.

'_I'm not talking to you'_ Saphira replied, more than slightly annoyed.

'_But, you're talking to me now.'_ Eragon said.

Despite her obvious anger, Saphira chuckled. '_Did you not listen to me, Brom, Oromis, or countless others who warned you not to attempt to raise the dead?'_

'_It worked didn't it?' _Eragon replied, with a hint of relief creeping into his voice.

'_Yes, but at what cost?'_

* * *

Arya was standing, listening to Eragon telling Nasuada who the Riders they had just fought were, when she suddenly felt a hand clamp over her mouth, and a sword pressed into her neck. She tried to struggle against her captor, but he was too strong. She tried to cry out, but her mouth would not open. She looked around, and realised that it was Murtagh who had grabbed her, and was even now demanding Eragon give him the Eldunari. Arya tried to block out what was being said whilst she worked on a spell to release herself, when she saw her mother run forwards. She tried to call out to her, to tell her to stop, but her mouth was still sealed.

Suddenly she felt pain like she had never felt before, worse even than her constant torture in Gil'ead. She looked down saw a sword sticking through her chest. She heard Eragon cry out and run towards her as the sword was painfully pulled out, but it was as though she was watching though a veil. She started to fall, then felt herself being caught by Eragon. She heard him saying again and again 'You can't die, you can't die'. But she knew she was. She summoned all her strength, and put it into her final words. 'Eragon...I love you'. The world went blank.

Arya felt as though she was falling, falling for eternity, when she hit a ground she did not know was there. She started into the blackness, only to see it transform into a world of colour. There was a forest, larger than her home, and before her were two Elves. She got up and walked towards them. When she was close enough to realise who they were, she froze in shock, for before her stood Faolin and her father, King Evander.

'Where am I?' she asked them both.

'You are in the void' came the reply. It was a voice she had never heard before, a rich, deep voice. She looked up into the face she had never seen, only pictures of it. She realised it was her father speaking.

She stared at him and Faolin as though she had never seen another elf before. She hesitated, unsure who to greet. Then she decided. She ran straight at Faolin, and dived into his arms. But instead of the happy reunion she was expecting, his voice was grave.

'You should not be here.'

'What? What do you mean?'

'You are needed in Alagaesia' her father answered.

Suddenly, she felt as though a rope which was looped around her waist was pulling her backwards, away from the ones she loved.

'Why can't I stay with you?' She asked sadly.

'Because Eragon needs you. Go, and be happy with him' Faolin answered.

Before she could respond, she was back in the darkness, being dragged towards the pain she believed she had left behind forever.

Then, she was back in her body, lying in Eragon's arms. She looked round, and saw her mother lying prone on the floor.

'What have you done?' she asked him, her voice incredibly faint. Then she lost consciousness.

**Chapter 36**

'But, how did that young upstart kill one of your brothers?' Galbatorix demanded of the trembling Rider stood before him.

'H...He was hit b...by an arrow. Be...Between his eyes my Lord.' The Rider stammered

'You imbeciles! Did you not think to erect wards around yourselves before going into battle?'

'N...No my Lord. We ha...have had no need for w...wards for one hun...hundred years.'

'I don't know why I bother with you.' Galbatorix turned to face one of his guards. 'Take him to the dungeon' he said. The Rider looked round through panic stricken eyes, desperate for a means of escape, but his forced oaths to Galbatorix meant that escape was impossible.

As the man was dragged away to the torture chambers below, Galbatorix licked his lips. Soon the man's screams would tear through the quite castle, like a dragons claws through paper. He thought of a time, not so long ago when he had one intelligent slave. He then started to wonder when Murtagh would return from his mission, and how successful he would be.

* * *

It had been three days since he had killed the elusive Oromis and Gleadr, using Murtagh and Thorn. Galbatorix looked down at Thorns Eldunari in his hand. Galbatorix debated whether or not to find out where they were, but decided against it. He would give them another few hours, then he would order them to return. Just as he was thinking this, he heard powerful wing beats outside his tower. Without looking, he knew Murtagh had returned. Galbatorix slowly got up from his dark throne, and walked up the stairs to the roof of the tower. It was as he suspected, Murtagh and Thorn had landed on the edge of the tower.

As he got off Thorn, Murtagh said 'I have returned my King.' When Galbatorix did not reply, he continued. 'What do you want from me now?'

'I want you to befriend the Varden, and then betray them for me.'

'What do you mean? They would never trust me, not after killing Oromis, Gleadr and King Hrothgar.'

'I know. I order you to go to them, and do what you can to convince them you have left me. You may give them several Eldunari, but on condition that you retrieve them before you betray them.'

'Yes my Lord. Murtagh walked towards the stairs, meaning to go and collect some Eldunari. Before he reached them though, Galbatorix spoke again. 'Have you any ideas on how to betray the Varden?'

'No my King, I haven't.'

'Make sure that you kill at least one of their leaders.'

Unwillingly, but forced to by his oath, Murtagh replied 'My Lord, I have one idea.'

'What is it?' Galbatorix said instantly.

'Before Thorn hatched for me, I travelled with Eragon, and one thing became plain to me. He is deeply in love with the elf Arya. If I kill her, he will be mentally destroyed, which would make it easier to kill him.'

Galbatorix thought for a moment, stroking his small black goatee. 'Yes. Yes, that would work. Do it.'

'Yes my King.' Murtagh finally headed down the stairs to the treasury. When he reached the guarded doors, he had to merely look at the soldiers for them to step aside. He muttered the password under his breath, and the doors opened slowly. Murtagh darted in.

He headed straight to the separate room he knew contained many Eldunari. On his way, he stopped to pick up a sturdy sack from the floor, ignoring a mound of gold coins. He opened the door, and picked up the first fifteen Eldunari he came across. All the while he was thinking about how he could avoid killing Arya.[i] _I can't._[/i]It didn't take him long to realise that there was no alternative. [i] _I must make it up to him somehow._ [/i]

He was still thinking about this as he left the small room. Just before he left the treasury, another side room caught his eye. It was one he had never noticed on any of his trips to the treasury. Nervously pushed open the door, and froze in shock. Before him were three black polished granite pedestals. Two had nothing on, but on the third, there was a purple cushion. In the centre of the cushion was a green dragon egg. Murtagh smiled, he had found his way to make it up to Eragon. He quickly grabbed the egg, and put it in the bag.

He almost sprinted back up to the throne room. Before he went up the tower to mount Thorn, he stopped, and admired the throne. To his shock, there was a small red Eldunari on a table next to it. Realising what it was, he snatched it, and ran up the stairs. To his relief, Galbatorix was not waiting for him. Murtagh quickly mounted Thorn, who jumped from the tower.

Unknown to him, Galbatorix was indeed watching him, from behind the staircase. He watched as Murtagh and Thorn flew into the distance.

___________________

Galbatorix looked out of the window of the tower. He smiled, as in the distance he saw a small dot on the horizon. Murtagh was returning. The pieces were falling into place. His master plan, decades in the making, was coming to fruition.

The first screams started to rise from the dungeon below.

**Chapter 37**

Tenga almost jumped for joy when he saw his beloved sit up.

'Where am I' the woman said, her voice gravelly after so many years of death.

'Your with me again Marian, I bought you back from the dead.'

'Yes. Marian was our name' the woman said slowly and thoughtfully.

Tenga looked surprised at her statement, but ignored it, so great was his joy. 'Aren't you pleased to see me again?' Tenga asked, as she got out of the coffin. Tenga a proper look at her for the first time in so many years. She was different to how he remembered her. She was taller, her hair was flame-red instead of a light brown and her skin was pale. So very pale. But once more he ignored it, so great was her joy. He led her into the tower.

When they were in the single room, Marian looked around, her gaze resting on the carved figures on the windowsill.

'Where did those come from?' She demanded.

'_She_ made them, before she left.' Tenga answered.

'_She?'_ Marian demanded again. 'Who is she?'

'She was my apprentice for a time, after, after you died.'

Marian seemed annoyed at this, and she snatched up one of the figures. With surprising strength she crushed it to dust with one hand.

'What did you do that for?' Tenga asked nervously.

Marian did not answer his question, but started to sniff the air frantically. 'I smell him'

'What do you mean?' Tenga asked, now quite scared.

'He was here. He killed us. Why didn't you tell us?'

'I don't know who you are talking about!' Tenga shouted at Marian.

'HOW DARE YOU TALK TO US LIKE THAT. YOU WILL SUFFER, YOU PITIFUL FOOL!' Marian thundered back.

Tenga instantly realised that this was not Marian. He turned and ran up the stairs, heading for the top of the tower. He used his new-found power of complete control of magic to seal the door behind him. But before he was half way up, he heard the door splintering as Marian crashed through it. He reached the top of the tower, and panicked. There was nowhere for him to run. He instantly knew what he should do. Using his power, he engraved the name onto the roof of the tower. He finished just in time, as the contorted face of the woman he once loved appeared from the top of the stairs.

Tenga did not try to run. He merely stood still, accepting his fate, knowing that he had made a terrible mistake. Marian slowly walked towards him, snarling with rage. She reached out with one hand, a grabbed Tenga's neck. With considerable strength, she lifted him, and started to strangle him. He did not struggle. Tenga eventually went limp, and Marian hurled him off the tower with contempt. His body landed in the vegetable garden, impaled sickeningly on a cane.

Marian stood on the top of the tower, and stared round at the landscape. She sniffed again, and stared south.

'WE ARE HURON' she shouted, her cries echoing around the five hills, sending dozens of birds into the air in fright.

Huron leapt from the south side of the tower, landing with a bone jarring thud. She started to run, her flame-red air flying wildly behind her.

**Chapter 38**

Roran was sat in his tent with Katrina, when he felt a familiar presence touch his mind.

[i]'_Eragon? Is that you?'_ [/i]he asked with his mind. When he did not get a reply, he started to concentrate on an image of Katrina. He poured all of his devotion for her into the mental image, just as Eragon taught him.

To his immense surprise, his barriers, which were strong enough to block Eragon before he rescued Katrina, were instantly swept away, like leaves before a hurricane. Roran felt his energy rapidly being depleted. He fell to the floor, so great was the energy loss. He tried to get up to help Katrina, who was also lying on the ground, but he couldn't stand, or even talk.

Roran remembered what Eragon had said to him about how you could die if a spell required too much energy. He started to panic as he lost more and more energy. Then he blacked out.

Roran awoke after what seemed like hours, but could only have been a few minutes. Although his vision was still very blurry, he could make out the figure of Katrina still sat on the bed. She was clutching her head in her hands, and looked to be crying. With a great deal of effort, Roran stood up. He wobbled slightly, then clutched at a chair for support.

Roran slowly staggered over the Katrina's side. 'What's wrong?' he asked. 'I'm alright now.'

Katrina looked up at him, with bleary eyes. 'It's not you. I knew you would be fine. You always are.' She started crying again.

'If it's not me, why are you so upset?'

'I feel like a part of me has died.'

Harsh realisation filled Roran. 'You don't mean...'

'I do. Roran. Its dead.'

Roran suddenly felt faint, and sank onto the bed next to Katrina, sorrow filling his heart. He put his arm round Katrina, and she slowly sank into his arms. They stayed like this for several minutes, Katrina silently crying. Eventually, Roran got up.

'I'm going to see Eragon, he will know what caused this.' He left the tent, and headed for the Elven camp, where he thought he would find his cousin.

Roran saw a horse weaving through the tents. He grabbed its reins, and climbed onto its back. With the aid of the horse, the two mile trip to the Elven camp took only a few minutes. When he reached the outskirts of it, he was surprised to see dozens of Elves lying on the floor. Several were starting to stand up woozily. He made for the centre of the camp, where he saw Saphira and two other dragons stood in a circle, around two figures. When he got closer, he realised it was Eragon, and a female elf lying in his arms. As he drew closer, Eragon turned around, the shock evident on his face.

'What are you doing here?' he asked Roran.

'I came to find out what happened.' Roran said simply.

Eragon face turned pale. 'It was me.' He said.

'What happened' he demanded.

'Murtagh, he, he killed Arya' he indicated as the elf in his arms.

'She doesn't look very dead to me. I can't see any wound, and she is breathing.'

'I brought her back' Eragon replied.

'But, but you said that was the one rule of magic which was never to be broken. You told me never, ever to try it. You said that anyone who tried it would die instantly.'

'I know.'

'Then why, and how, did you do it?'

'I, I don't know. I was using every modicum of energy available within about five miles. Maybe because it was so much, I was able to do it.'

Upon hearing this, Roran walked up to Eragon and hit him in the jaw. Roran felt the bone break with the force of the impact. Eragon spat out some bloodied teeth, and mouthed a spell which was incomprehensible to Roran. To his disgust, the bone popped back into place with a sickening crack.

'What was that for?' Eragon asked Roran, the anger evident in his voice. He stayed seated, the elf still lying in his arms.

'Katrina.' Roran said simply, tears coming to his eyes.

'She's not dead, is she?' Eragon asked nervously.

'No. But our child is. You killed it.'

Eragon's face turned even paler, and a look of horror filled his eyes.

'I didn't... I can't have...'

Roran just nodded, tears forming rivulets down his face.

**Chapter 39**

Galbatorix continued to stare at the approaching figures of Murtagh and Thorn. The screams from the Rider being tortured permeated through the thick walls of the castle. Although he had it in his power to limit the cries to the dungeon, he left them, a warning to all of his servants and slaves what would happen to them if they dared to cross him, the supreme ruler of Alagaesia.

He walked slowly up the stairs, up to the top of the tower. The force of the wind caught him off balance the instant he left the shelter of the stairwell. He regained his composure, and stood firm in the face of wind. He waited for Murtagh to return.

Several minutes passed, the beats of Thorns wings became louder and louder as he drew nearer. Eventually, Thorn landed on the roof with a thud.

'My King. It is done' Murtagh said as he climbed of Thorn, bowing as his feet touched the floor.

Galbatorix nodded, a crooked smile forming on his twisted lips.

'She is dead? And you have all of the Eldunari?'

'Yes my King.' Murtagh reached into Thorns saddle bag, and withdrew the sack, and gave it to Galbatorix. 'They are all there'

Galbatorix had a look, just to be sure. When he was satisfied, he motioned for Murtagh to follow him, and turned to leave the roof. [i] '_What should I do Your Majesty?'[/i]_ Thorn asked, his thoughts bursting into Galbatorix's mind.

[i]'_I will forgive you for that crime. This time. You may hunt for food, or return to your quarters to rest, it is up to you.' [/i]_Galbatorix said, also with his mind.

'_Thank you my King.'_

Murtagh and Galbatorix walked down the stairs, then headed towards the treasure room. They walked in silence for a while. A silence Galbatorix broke with a harsh accusation.

'You took the green dragon egg.'

Murtagh hung his head. 'Yes sire' He didn't try to deny it.

'Did it hatch?' Although Galbatorix was angry, he was also curious about the fate of the egg which had lingered in his castle for nigh on one hundred years.

'Yes. To an elf named Evarinya.'

'I had hoped it would not. But this does not change anything...' He seemed as though he was going to reveal more about his plans, but he caught himself just in time. 'But there is a far graver matter which has come to my attention.'

'What is it?' Murtagh asked. [i]_He can't mean Thorn's Eldunari. Can he?'[/i]_

'It concerns an Eldunari. One which you took.'

Murtagh tried to play innocent. 'You have all the Eldunari in your hand sire.'

'It concerns another Eldunari, one which you took without my explicit permission. You know what the punishment for that is.' As if on cue, another scream echoed round the castle.

Murtagh shuddered as he heard it. 'I...I...I. There's no excuse, is there your majesty?'

Galbatorix shook his head. 'Why did you steal Thorn's Eldunari?' He made Murtagh feel even worse by keeping his voice calm and level as he spoke.

'I...I, just saw it there, and, I did not want you to control Thorn and I again.' Once more, Murtagh hung his head in shame.

'I didn't know you had such feelings on the matter.' Galbatorix said kindly. 'And nor should you. You are a slave. Nothing more. You hear me? A SLAVE! WHAT ARE YOU?' Galbatorix suddenly and violently lost his temper.

'A...A slave sir' Murtagh said meekly.

'YES. YOU DO WHAT I SAY, WHEN I SAY IT! YOU HAD BETTER HOPE I [i] _NEVER_ [/i]GET MY HANDS ON THORNS ELDUNARI, OR YOU AND HE WILL PAY!'

Murtagh cowered against the wall. Two guards appeared from the alcoves. At a signal from Galbatorix, they dragged Murtagh to the dungeons.

Half an hour later when Galbatorix arrived in the torture chamber, Murtagh was strapped down, face first, on a wooden plank. His back was red raw due to dozens of lashes with a whip, interspersed with swipes from a red hot piece of flat iron.

'Have you learnt from you mistake, slave?' Galbatorix asked Murtagh.

He inclined his head slightly, which was all he could manage.

'I disagree. There is another form of torture, one I invented myself, which I have so far refrained from using. However, I think you deserve to be my [i]_test subject_.[/i] You see, it involves the hairs of your head being pulled out, one by one. Not so bad, you might think, but for every hair, a white hot pin is driven into your back.'

Galbatorix motioned to a guard who was stood near the fire. He moved a large steel box into the flames. They waited in silence for several minutes, then the guard nodded, indicating it was hot enough. At another motion from the king, a guard started to pluck hairs, one by one. For every hair, the other guard picked up a pin, and drove it into Murtaghs back. He started screaming. His cries starting out small, then growing up to a deafening crescendo, echoing round the city.

__________________

Many miles away, Arya's eyes started to flutter, then snapped open, to be greeted by Eragon's caring eyes piercing her soul.

**Chapter 40**

Arya's eyes started to flutter, then they snapped open. Above her, she saw Eragon staring down, a concerned look on his face. Seeing that, she realised what he must have done, what an effort it had taken him. On a wild impulse, she did something which surprised her as much as him. She sat up and kissed him. She felt Eragon tighten his grip around her waist, and kiss her back, his shock overcome by desire.

They stayed locked like that for what seemed like days, at peace with each other and the world. But suddenly, Arya looked over Eragon's shoulder, and noticed her mother stirring on the ground. Despite herself, she ignored her mother, who had pulled herself up, using a nearby tent. Arya glanced back at Islanzadi, and stared her straight in the eye, as if to challenge her to ruin her peace. To her shock, Islanzadi stared straight back at her, and said nothing.

Arya and Islanzadi stared at each other for several minutes, a silent battle with their eyes, each trying to stare down the other, but eventually, Islanzadi relented. She nodded slightly, then turned and walked away, occasionally clutching at a tent or tree for support.

Around Eragon and Arya, a crowd of elves gathered at the edge of the clearing, all staring at the intertwined figures in the centre. Saphira and Kveykva moved to hide Eragon and Arya, mostly succeeding due to their combined bulk.

Eventually, Arya broke away from Eragon's kiss.

'How did you manage it?' She asked him.

'I...I don't know. I just put all the energy I could into it, and the energy of everyone in a few miles. That's why all the elves why lying unconscious on the floor. '

'But, even with all the energy in Alagaesia, you still shouldn't have been able to bring me back.'

'I know, but it just worked. Something must have changed.'

'I'm grateful Eragon, but you shouldn't have risked trying to revive me. You could easily have killed everyone here, almost all of the elves and Varden. There would have been no hope for anyone in Alagaesia.'

Eragon was speechless for a second. Eventually, something told him what he should say. 'I did it because I love you.'

'I know. But at what cost?'

Roran answered for Eragon. 'Katrina's baby for one.'

Arya looked at Eragon. 'Is this true?' She demanded.

'I...I...I. It's true.' Eragon hung his head in shame. 'I tried to break contact with everyone who fainted, but, sometimes, I couldn't. I tried to only harm Galbatorix's soldiers, but I couldn't.'

In reply, Arya slapped him in the face, and stormed off, pushing through the crowd. She disappeared behind a tent, and was gone.

[i]'_What did she do that for?[/i]' _Eragon asked Saphira, rubbing the side of his face, which had rapidly changed colour to a bright red, so hard had Arya slapped him.

[i]'_Eragon, she needs time to think. She has just died, and dozens more have died to bring her back'[/i]_

[i]'_How do you know so much about everything Saphira? You always seem to know what is happening, and wrong with everyone.'[/i]_

_[i]'You forget, I am a dragon, the wisest of beings.'[/i]_

[i]'_How could I forget? Anyway, what should I do now?'[/i]_

[i]'_Something, anything to apologise to her.[/i]'_

_[i]'Should I follow her?'[/i]_

_[i]'No, don't do that.'[/i]_

Eragon tried to stand, but was stopped by Saphira, who sensed his intentions, and knocked him over with a flick of her leg, and pinned him to the floor with a single claw.

_[i]'Saphira, get off'[/i]_

_[i]'Not until you promise me not to do anything stupid.'[/i]_

Before Eragon could answer, Islanzadi came hurrying up to him.

'What happened? Arya just ran past me, her eyes filled with tears? What did you do to her?'

'Roran told Arya that Katrina's child died when I took everyone's energy to heal her.'

'Ah, that would explain why she is so upset. She doesn't know if her life was worth the sacrifice of so many. You should go to her.'

'But, Saphira said not...' Eragon started to reply, but he was cut off mid-sentence by Islanzadi.

'I know that dragons are wise, and I do not mean to offend you Saphira' At this Saphira growled softly, in anticipation of what was to come. 'But I know my daughter better than anyone. You should go, and try to comfort her.'

Saphira bowed her head slightly, accepting the wisdom of the Queens words. Eragon nodded blankly, and stood to leave.

'She was heading south when I last saw her, running towards a distant cluster of hill.'

'Thank you Your Majesty.' Eragon run through the crowd of elves, also heading south.

[i]'_Do you want me to take you there little one? With my speed, you will easily catch her.[/i]'_ Saphira asked Eragon as she took off, and followed him south.

_[i]'No, this is something I must do alone'[/i]. But follow me, just in case'_

Eragon ran like he had never run before, faster than he believed possible, putting all his strength and will into chasing Arya.

____________

Huron sniffed the air. She had travelled far in the short time since she left Tenga's corpse grotesquely impaled in his garden. She could smell them. The ones who killed her. Huron turned and headed back towards the cluster of hills, the ruined tower climbing high into the sky, a silent act of defiance to the Gods

**Chapter 41**

'I did it because I love you.'

'I know. But at what cost?'

Roran answered for Eragon. 'Katrina's baby for one.'

Arya looked at Eragon. 'Is this true?' She demanded.

'I...I...I. It's true.' Eragon hung his head in shame. 'I tried to break contact with everyone who fainted, but, sometimes, I couldn't. I tried to only harm Galbatorix's soldiers, but I couldn't.'

Arya was suddenly overcome with rage. Despite herself, she raised her hand and slapped Eragon in the face with all her strength. Tears started to fill her eyes, as she hurried to the edge of the clearing. She barged through the gathered crowd of elves, forgetting both her position and her races emphasis on courtesy .

Arya started to run, not caring where she went, just trying to get away, to find somewhere think and be alone with herself.

[i]'_Arya. Where are you going?'[/i] _Kveykva's voice echoed round her head.

Instead of replying, Arya blocked him from her thoughts.

As she ran through the camp, she came across her mother sitting next outside her tent, singing to a nearby tree, which was rapidly growing. As Arya drew closer, her mother stood up.

'Arya. What's wrong with you?'

Once more she did not reply, but, tears spilling down her face, she pushed Islanzadi to one side, and continued running.

Arya ran south for many miles, heading for a cluster of five hills, which had a ruined tower poking from the centre. But before she got halfway, she came across a large copse, which she had not seen due to her bleary eyes. She slowed down, and walked into it.

When she reached a clearing near the centre, she stopped and looked around. She was happy to be back in the tree's, especially after she thought she had lost them forever. She sat the trunk of a tree, blown over in some long forgotten storm. She breathed deeply, the aroma of the trees, the smell calming her and reminding her of her home deep in Du Weldenvarden.

She started to think about all she had heard since Eragon healed her. About if her life was worth the sacrifice of so many others.

__________

Eragon pounded across the plain, looking for any sign that Arya might be nearby. He could hear Saphira's powerful wing beat above him.

[i]'_I told you to stay away. I need to do this alone'[/i]_

_[i]'I know what you said Eragon, but you always get into trouble somehow or another. Anyway, with my help, you will find her much quicker.'[/i]_

_[i]'Fine, stay, but if we find her, you need to stay back.'[/i]_

[i]'_Alright, but I won't go too far.'[/i]_

Eragon suddenly spotted a copse on the horizon. [i]'_Do you think she went in there?'[/i]_

_[i]'She might have. You should have a look'[/i]_

Without replying, Eragon started to sprint towards the cluster of trees. Within minutes, he had reached the edge. He knew that if Arya was in it, she would be near the centre. Eragon picked his way through the trees. He tried to be as quite as he could, but despite his best efforts, a branch below his feat snapped with a loud crack.

Eventually he reached a clearing. He looked around, and saw nothing but a decaying tree trunk lying on the floor. He stood still and listened for a few minutes, occasionally hearing a rustle of leaves, or the snap of a twig, but they proved to be nothing more than a wild pig or a bird. Suddenly, there was a loud sound, which he could not identify. He looked for its source, but could not see anything which could have made it. After several more minutes, Eragon turned and left the woods.

[i]'_She's not there[/i]'_ he said to Saphira.

[i]'_Then she must have gone towards those hills in the distance.'[/i]_

_[i]'I suppose so. For some reason, they look strangely familiar, but I can't place when I saw them.'_[/i]

[i]'_We have probably flown over them at some time'[/i]_

_[i]'I suppose so'[/i]_

Eragon ran towards the awaiting hills, where he believed his beloved had gone.

_________________

Suddenly, a noise disturbed her solicitude.[i] _What was that she thought_.[/i] She started to panic, unsure if it was just an animal or if it was something else. She sprang to her feet. [i] '_Kveykva, where are you?'[/i]_

[i]'_I am flying above the city now, trying to see where you have gone.'[/i] _She sounded concerned.

Arya quickly sent an image of the copse she had entered was. [i]'_Be swift'[/i]_

[i]'_I come'[/i] _Kveykva said, and cut the connection.

Despite herself, Arya drew her sword, and gazed around the clearing, trying to see through the darkness of the woods. Suddenly, the woods which had seemed so inviting just minutes earlier now seemed hostile and scary.

She realised that she was in a very exposed position, so she headed to the side of the clearing opposite that which she sound seemed to come from. She went into the trees until she found a large tree which she could climb. She went up, her sword still clutched in her hand. When she was about halfway up, she could look down into the clearing, but could not be seen.

She did not have to wait long. Before two minutes had passed, she saw Eragon enter the clearing. He did not go into the middle, or even look up, which surprised her, but instead he stayed still as a statue, listening. Arya debated whether or not to reveal herself to him, but before she could decide, her sword slipped from her grasp, clattering down the trunk and sticking it the ground. She held her breath nervously, as she saw Eragon become suddenly alert, and look round the clearing, his eyes scanning for any possible source of the noise. To her great relief, he did not see her.

She relaxed slightly as Eragon stopped looking round. She continued to debate about revealing herself, and, after much thought, came to a decision. She turned to climb down the tree, but when she reached the ground, she looked into the clearing and saw that Eragon was gone.

**Chapter 42**

Arya returned to her position on the log. She didn't want to chase after Eragon, partly because she wanted to wait for Kveykva, and partly because she wanted more time away from him to think.

Arya did not have to wait long. Before five minutes had passed, she heard the beating of wings, and the brilliant yellow shape of Kveykva descended into the clearing. Arya ran up to her, and climbed into the hollow of her back, resting against her neck.

'_I am sorry I blocked you out like that'_

'_Don't be, I understand why you did it. Just don't run away from me again.'_

Grinning, Arya jumped from Kveykva's back, and ran towards the tree's, just out of Kveykva's reach.

'_Don't say I didn't warn you Arya.' _ Kveykva said, chuckling slightly. With a single stroke of her powerful tail, she brought a tree crashing down, giving her enough room to reach Arya. '_Got you.'_

'_Not fair'_ Arya replied, and she turned once more into the trees, but before she could get two feet, Kveykva knocked her over with her leg, and pinned Arya to the floor, gently but firmly. They both started to laugh, Arya's joyful peals ringing round the trees, Kveykva's deep boom echoing in her head.

'_I haven't had this much fun since before...'_ She did not continue, but Kveykva saw images of Faolin filling Arya's mind. She didn't try to hide them. '_When I was...'_ She couldn't bring herself to say it, '_Before Eragon healed me, I saw them. Faolin and my father.'_ Instead of talking, she sent Kveykva her memories of the Void.

Kveykva watched them, and felt Arya's sadness as she thought of her father and Faolin.

'_He wanted you to go back, to be with Eragon'_ Kveykva said suddenly.

'_I do, but how can I be, knowing that in healing me, he killed an unborn child, and many others.'_

'_You don't know that it was his fault the baby died, and as for the others, I was connected to his mind as he drew strength from everyone, and most of the others who died were the soldiers of Dras' Leona. They would probably have died in the coming battle. And, their deaths has meant that many of the Varden and Elves might survive who would otherwise have died.'_

'_Yes, I suppose so.' _Arya said slowly. '_We should go back to the city. I need to apologise to my mother, who probably thinks that Eragon tried to do something terrible to me'_

She walked with Kveykva back to the centre of the clearing, and then climbed onto her back. Together, they flew back towards the city.

__________________

'_Saphira, can you see any sign of her?' _Eragon asked as he ran.

'_No, but I could fly ahead and look around those hills to see if she's there.'_

'_Thank you Saphira.'_ Above him, he heard Saphira increase her wing beat, and fly on towards the hills.

Eragon ran as fast as he could, not looking back, and gradually the hills drew closer and closer. He could see Saphira circling above them, occasionally diving down slightly for a better look.

Suddenly, Saphira's voice echoed in his head. '_Look at this' _She sent him a series of images, which showed what she saw.

Eragon stopped running. He could see a small, green patch amidst the ruins of a tower. As Saphira went down Eragon could see the ground much clearer. There were several canes in the green patch, which he realised was a small vegetable garden.

'_What do you think happened'_ Saphira said.

'_Um, all I can see is a vegetable patch in some ruins.'_

'_Look closer.'_

Saphira dived down further, and Eragon gasped as he saw what Saphira meant. Impaled on one of the canes was an old man. Eragon couldn't see his face as it was facing the floor, but he could see a mass of grey hair, and a long, white beard hanging down to the ground.

'_Saphira! I remember when I saw those hills. It was after we rescued Katrina, I was going past them, and stopped out of curiosity. There was an old Hermit who lived in the ruins. I think Angela said his name was Tenga.'_

'_Why didn't you tell me about this when you returned?'_

'_I didn't think it was important. I wonder what happened to him.'_

'_Well, he didn't trip onto the cane, I know that. But whatever happened, it happened recently. If Arya is here, or near here, she is in danger.'_

Eragon did not reply, but started to run again, using some of the energy contained within his belt to sustain himself as he ran. Within an hour, he was almost at the hills. He looked up again, and, to his surprise, he saw that Saphira was no longer circling above them. He stopped and looked around. He couldn't see her anywhere.

'_Saphira? Where are you?'_ he called with his mind, but he heard nothing but silence.

Eragon started to worry. He reached out with his mind, further than he had ever reached before, until he found a large cluster of consciousnesses, which could only have been the city of Dras' Leona. He spent several minutes searching through the minds, until he found the one he was looking for. The instant he touched it, he could feel barriers being thrown up. Reluctantly, he gathered his strength, and forced his way through.

'_Evarinya, don't worry, it's me, Eragon'_ He said in the ancient language. He could feel Evarinya relaxing when she realised he was speaking the truth.

'_What is it Eragon? Have you found Arya yet?'_

'_No, but I think I know where she is.' _He quickly sent her a mental image of the hills he was heading for. '_Saphira was above them, but when I just looked, she had vanished, and I can't contact her with my mind. I think something might have happened to her.'_

'_I will be there as soon as I can' _Evarinya replied, cutting the connection.

Eragon started to run again. Within a few minutes, he had reached the base of the hills. He quickly turned, and he could see a smudge on the horizon, which could only have been Evarinya and Sverdar. Despite knowing he should wait for them, he climbed the hill, and entered the ruins.

Slowly, Eragon picked his way through the debris from the collapsing tower, until he reached the vegetable garden. He walked towards the impaled figure, and, recoiling with disgust, pulled him off the stake. When he had got his breath back, he looked at the man, and saw it really was Tenga, but before he could think about how Tenga might have ended up on the stake, he heard a noise behind him.

Quickly, spun round, drawing Brisingr as he did so. He walked through the ruins, following the noise, which he quickly realised was laughter. Slowly, he crept forwards, until he was at the edge of a ring of stones, forming a crude amphitheatre. In the middle, he saw Saphira, suspended in mid air, as if by some unseen string.

But what happened next shocked him even more. From behind Saphira walked a women with flame red hair and pale skin. _No! Eragon thought, it can't be, not another._

As if in reply to his thoughts, the women said 'We are Huron, _Shadeslayer.'_

**Chapter 43**

Murtagh screamed as the white hot, glowing pins were forced into his back. Each pin was pushed into his back less than a centimetre, but there were so many, so very many. After just a few minutes, several square inches were densely covered with the pins. Murtagh tried to summon magic to heal himself, but remembered that he had been given a drug to stop him being able to use magic.

Suddenly he felt someone touch his mind. '[i]Thorn? Is that you?[/i], his mental voice full of pain.

[i]'Yes Murtagh. What is happening to you?'[/i]

Murtagh could not bring himself to describe his pain, so he sent a mental image of what he saw. He felt Thorn shudder as he saw the barbarity of it.

[i]'I will try to shield you from the pain.'[/i]

[i]'Thank you Thorn. But don't get caught. I fear for what Galbatorix will do to you if he finds out.[/i]'

[i]'I won't.[/i] With that, Thorn cut the connection. Murtagh could feel the pain reducing as Thorn took it into his body. Most of the pain had vanished, but what remained was still enough to cause great agony. Murtagh screamed again, although this time, it wasn't so much with pain, as with frustration.

Two hours later, the repetitive pain of having his hairs pulled out individually stopped, and he could not feel any new pins being forced into his back. He could hear his guards leaving the room, although they left him strapped to the table. He slightly shifted his position, and screamed out loud with the sudden return of the pain.

'Tut, tut, tut.' A nasal, arrogant voice said behind him.

'Why are you doing this, you sadistic bastard.'

'Anger is a poison. You should purge it, before it corrupts your better nature. That's what they told me, the Riders, before I destroyed their corrupt order.'

'You are a twisted, evil despot' Murtagh hissed.

'Tut, tut, tut' The voice said again. 'You should not speak to me like that [i]slave[/i]. Thorn has been helping you shield you from pain.'

'No.' Murtagh said simply, the pain flooding back into his body as Thorn withdrew his support.

'Yes.' Galbatorix replied. 'He has just returned the pain, and left your mind. He was helping you the past few hours.'

It was then that Murtagh knew he had been caught out. 'How did you know?' he said through clenched teeth.

Galbatorix laughed. A deep laugh, which, although seemingly jolly, had rich, evil overtones. 'I know everything' he said. '[i]EVERYTHING[/i]' Once more he started to laugh manically.

_________________--

When Eragon left her mind, Evarinya ran to Islanzadi. 'Your Majesty, Eragon just contacted me.'

'What did he say? Has he found Arya? Is she alright?' Questions leapt from Islanzadi's tongue, unrestrainedly.

'He has not found her yet, but he thinks he might do soon.'

'Where? And why did he talk to you?'

Quickly, Evarinya told Islanzadi what Eragon had told her.

'Very well, you must go. But before you leave, there is one thing I must ask. Can Sverdar carry two passengers?'

'[i]Sverdar. Did you hear what she said?'[/i]

[i]'Yes, I heard. I can probably take two passengers, but it depends who the other person is. You are light, so as long as they are not too fat, I should manage.[/i]'

'Who do you wish to come with me.'

Wordlessly, Islanzadi gestured to an elf somewhere behind Evarinya. 'Blodhgarm will accompany you.'

Evarinya looked to her right, and saw that Blodhgarm was indeed standing next to her. He inclined his head slightly to Islanzadi, and turned to Evarinya. 'I will lighten myself with magic to lessen the burden on Sverdar.'

Evarinya climbed onto Sverdar's back, and Blodhgarm followed her up. Sverdar leaped as high as he could. It was lucky he did so, as he dropped several meters due to the added weight of Blodhgarm. He flapped his wings madly to gain altitude. He eventually was able to maintain level flight, so he sped south, towards the distant hills, where Evarinya knew Eragon was.

**Chapter 44**

Sverdar had flown for many miles before Evarinya spoke to Blodhgarm. 'Were you told where we are going?' She asked him.

'Yes, Islanzadi told me mentally before we left.'

'Then you know Eragon and Saphira are in trouble.'

Blodhgarm nodded, not really concentrating on what she was saying. 'There's a dragon flying towards us'

'Can you see what colour it is?' Evarinya asked, hoping it was Saphira, so their mission would be over quickly.

'It's to say at this distance, but I would say its yellow.'

'Arya and Kveykva?'

'She is the only yellow dragon I know of.' Blodhgarm said, sounding quite annoyed. 'Wait, I have had an idea to see if it is her. Give me some water.'

Evarinya handed Blodhgarm a canteen, unsure why he wanted it. She soon found out. He poured some onto the palm of his hand. [i]'Draumr Kopa'[/i] he muttered. Suddenly, and image of Arya appeared in his hand. She was indeed flying on Kveykva. 'It's her.' He said.

'Do you think we should go to her?'

[i]We should go, we may need her help when we get to Eragon.'[/i] Sverdar's voice echoed round her and Blodhgarm's heads. He turned slightly and angled his flight so they would quickly intercept Arya.

Half an hour later they were flying back towards the hills with Arya and Kveykva alongside. They had both spent the last half an hour flying towards each other, as soon as Arya realised they were there.

'What are you doing?' Arya asked Evarinya.

'Eragon contacted me, and told me to meet him at the base of those hills' She gestured towards the cluster of hills some miles south of them.'

'What is he doing there?'

'He was looking for you.' Evarinya said. 'And now, Saphira has disappeared.'

Arya remained silent, deep in thought for the rest of the journey.

A few hours later, they were circling above the hills. 'You stay up here.' Arya said to Evarinya. 'Blodhgarm, climb across onto Kveykva, I may need your assistance.'

'Very well Arya svit-kona.' Blodhgarm raised himself with magic, using his tremendous strength to move himself across onto Kveykva.

Evarinya and Sverdar continued to circle around the hills, whilst Kveykva dived down, and landed among the rubble. Evarinya felt a presence touch her mind. '[i]Can you see any sign of Eragon and Saphira down from up there?'[/i] Arya asked.

[i]'Nothing yet, but I will keep looking.'[/i]

________________

As soon as Kveykva touched the ground, Arya contacted Evarinya with her mind.

'[i]Can you see any sign of Eragon and Saphira down from up there?'[/i] Arya asked.

[i]'Nothing yet, but I will keep looking.'[/i] came her reply.

Arya sprang off Kveykva, followed swiftly by Blodhgarm. They split up and started to search through the ruins. Arya picked her way towards the central tower. She wished she hadn't. She saw a vegetable garden, and a man, with a grisly wound to his chest, lying next to a stake. She shuddered, wondering what could have done that to him, and walked on.

Arya was about to go into the tower, when she heard Blodhgarm calling for her. She ran back through the rubble towards his voice. When she reached him, she saw he was in a large gap in the rubble.

'Arya svit-kona, look at this.' He pointed to the floor. She gasped when she realised what he meant. There was a patch of fresh blood. She looked a bit further, and saw another, and another. She followed the trail, with Blodhgarm hot on her heels.

The trail of blood meandered through the rubble, until it reached a high face of rock, which formed the side of one of the hills. Arya froze with shock, when she saw what was at the end of the trail.

**Chapter 45**

'Thorn will pay for this treachery' Galbatorix said, and Murtagh heard him leave the chamber.

He was left in peace for a few minutes, then he heard the clank of men in armour running down the corridor. He heard the distressed cries of the guards outside the chamber.

'Halt! Who goes there?'

Then Murtagh heard the hiss of swords being drawn from their sheaths, and the chaotic sounds of battle. The sound persisted for several minutes, then there was quiet. Murtagh closed his eyes and hoped that the attackers had gone, so he could be left in peace. But his dream was not to pass. The door splintered.

Murtagh opened his eyes and was glad he was facing the door, so he could see what was happening. A heavily armoured boot appeared in the door. To Murtagh's surprise, a foot was not what came through the door, rather it was ten spikes.

A gruff voice came from the other side. 'Kick it again Shrrgnein'

'Out of my way.' Another voice, more harsh than the other came from the far side.

Murtagh heard people moving around on the far side, and then someone running towards the door. It crashed down, and Murtagh tried to move back, before he realised that he was still strapped to the table. The pain was like a dozen lashes of a whip, and it brought back fresh memories of the agony of the torture. Murtagh strained to see through the dust and chips of stone and wood which were sent flying by the force of the impact and the door hitting the floor.

The same guttural voice said. 'He's here.'

A third voice said 'Good, get him, and we can get out of this accursed castle.'

Gradually the dust cleared, and Murtagh saw who his rescuers were...

______

The trail of blood meandered through the rubble, until it reached a high face of rock, which formed the side of one of the hills. Arya froze with shock, when she saw what was at the end of the trail.

[i]Nothing? How can there be nothing?[/i] In front of Arya was a blank rock face. The trail of blood ended with a blank rock face. Blodhgarm almost ran into Arya, so great was his haste to catch her.

'Why have you stopped Arya Svit-Kona?'

'The trail, it...It ends here.'

'But, it can't! Where are Eragon and Saphira?'

Arya shook her head in disbelief. She contact Evarinya with her mind. [i]'Are you sure you can't see any sign of Eragon and Saphira from that height?'[/i]

[i]'No Arya. I can't see him anywhere. But there is so much rubble, it is hard to see anything from up here. But, from the top of that tower...'[/i]

Evarinya did not need to finish her sentence. '[i]I understand'[/i]

Arya turned and started to run towards the tower. Blodhgarm did not realise what she was doing, so he shrugged and ran after her. They quickly reached the base of the tower, and slowly went in. Arya stared around the single room at the bottom of the tower.

There was a solitary table in the centre, with two chairs, one on either side. On the walls were not one, but seven scrolls, containing true names. Blodhgarm ran over to the nearest with a cry of excitement.

'I have never seen so many of these scrolls. I wonder who owns them.'

'Go and ask him. He's in his vegetable garden, dead.'

'Then, he won't mind if I take them away, to preserve them in the library of Ellesmera.' Blodhgarm carefully and reverently removed the ancient scrolls one by one. He folded them up and clutched them to his chest.

He walked outside, and Arya saw Evarinya land next to him. She heard Blodhgarm say something indecipherable, and saw him press the scrolls into her arms. Evarinya took off, and Blodhgarm walked back through the door.

'What did you tell her?' Arya asked him.

'I sent her back to Islanzadi with the scrolls. They are far too valuable to leave here.'

'Alright Blodhgarm, but next time you do something like that, let me know first.'

Blodhgarm just nodded at her.

Together they quickly searched the room. When found nothing, they proceeded up the stairs, to the top of the tower. When they reached it, Arya's sharp eyes immediately noticed some marks on the floor.

'What do you think they are?' she asked Blodhgarm. He ran over, and almost fell to the floor, so great was his curiosity. Whilst he examined them, Arya looked all around. Although she could see the five hills and rubble in their entirety, she could see no sign of Eragon and Saphira.

She returned to Blodhgarm's side, and crouched down next to him. 'Have you worked out what they are?'

'Yes Arya drottningu. They are words in the ancient language. The carving looks quite recent.'

'Well, what does it say?' Arya asked excitedly.

'If I am right, they say the true name of magic.'

**Chapter 46**

Murtagh peered through the dust to try and see who had burst through. He almost screamed, for before him stood a massive Kull. A full eight feet tall, the Kull roared. He lowered his horns, which were at least a foot long, and charged. Behind him, he saw a group of four dwarfs, and three more Kull. They all had grey cloaks on, covering their armour. On the cloaks, there was a black shield, with two crossed swords in the middle.

The lead Kull had now disappeared from Murtaghs field of vision, but he heard it fumbling with the straps holding Murtagh in place. He swore in his own language, then Murtagh heard the scrape of a sword, or knife being drawn. He braced himself for the cut of the weapon. To his relief, it cut through the straps, not him. He felt the Kull grab him, and raise him onto its shoulder.

Murtagh could hear the Kull's hot breath near his ear. He moved his head as far as his torn back would allow, and took a better look at his rescuers behind him. He could see two dwarves and a Kull, he assumed the rest were in front of him.

Murtagh could see the corridors he knew so well around him. He realised that instead of going up, the party was going down. He soon lost track of where he was, flitting between consciousness and unconsciousness rapidly as he was thrown around on the Kull's back. The next time he was aware of himself, he had no idea where he was. The corridor they were now in was unfamiliar, but he knew he was still in the castle, as at that moment, he heard Galbatorix's magnified voice echo round the castle, piercing every nook and cranny.

'YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE! SURRENDER NOW, AND I MAY LET YOU LIVE. PERSIST IN YOUR TREACHARY, AND YOU WILL DIE.' Again and again, it rang round the corridors.

To Murtagh's surprise, his rescuers did not seem to notice it. Eventually they stopped. Murtagh was thrown roughly to the ground. He saw a dwarf with spiked knuckles walk up an indistinguishable piece of wall, and rapped it three times. To Murtagh's surprise, a section of wall, six feet long opened up, revealing a passageway.

_________

The woman said 'We are Huron,[i]_Shadeslayer[/i].'_

[i]No! No! No! I can't be another shade.[/i] Eragon thought as he gazed in the evil eyes of the twisted body of the woman. He drew Brisingr, and muttered its name. His sword burst into flames.

'You're pretty sword cant harm me [i]Shadeslayer[/i].'

Eragon snarled, and ran towards the shade. It motioned with its hand, and laughed, a foul evil laugh. Eragon found himself frozen in place. Brisingr clattered to the floor, still burning.

'If you hadn't killed me, I would never have thought you capable of killing a shade.'

'No! You can't be!'

It laughed again. 'Yes, we are more powerful than Durza, or Varug, for I am both.'

Suddenly, an incredibly strong mental probe hit him. He tried to resist, but without Saphira's help, he could not resist for more than a few seconds. To his disgust, the shade had completely taken over his mind.

'Now, I can finally take your ring. I'm so hungry, so very hungry.'

The shade moved closer and closer, and reached out towards Eragon's hand. Behind the shade, Eragon saw Saphira double her efforts to escape the shades magic. [i]How can it be so strong?[/i] Eragon found himself thinking.

Suddenly, Saphira burst free of the shades spell, using some strange dragon magic. Eragon once more felt her presence inside his head, but his joy was short lived when he remembered the shade was also in his mind.

Saphira lunged at Huron's back, who, in one fluid motion, turned, drawing her sword as she did so, and slashed at Saphira's leg. She howled in agony as the blade cut deep into her muscle. A large splash of blood hit the floor.

Huron flicked her finger lazily, and Saphira was once more floating in mid air. Huron then moved back towards Eragon, when he heard a roar of a dragon. [i]Evarinya, she must have arrived[/i] Eragon thought happily. The shade turned, as if to run away, but to his dismay, the shade flicked its finger again, and Eragon suddenly found himself floating. The shade walked through the rubble, Eragon and Saphira floating behind her. Saphira's injured leg still had blood dripping down it, forming a grisly trail along the ground.

After a time, they reached a large, blank rock wall. Unperturbed, the shade muttered something in the ancient language, and a large opening appeared in the cliff face. The shade walked in, and Eragon and Saphira floated behind. When there was an area large enough for all of them, Eragon felt a rush of wind enter the cave as the entrance was sealed. The shade continued to walk, carving a tunnel in front of her, and re-forming that behind as she went.

[i]How can it be so strong?[/i] Eragon found himself thinking again. [i]Even with all his Eldunari, Galbatorix wouldn't be strong enough to do this.[/i]

**Chapter 47**

'If I'm right, it says the true name of magic' Blodhgarm said, a look of awe on his face.

'How can you be sure?'

'Well, these words, some I have never seen before, their meaning and pronunciation lost in the mists of time. And the words I do know, what they say, it can only be the name of magic.'

______________

The Kull picked up Murtagh again, and the entire group ran into the tunnel. The door shut behind them, and Murtagh saw that two more dwarves had joined them. [i]They must have been the ones to open the door[/i] Murtagh thought. The group ran for many miles, heading further and further underground. Murtagh thought they might be heading east, owing to his knowledge of the castle and its passages. The tunnel ran in a perfectly straight line. Eventually, they stopped descending, and the tunnel became flat.

After several more miles, the group stopped in a wide section of the tunnel. Murtagh was once more thrown to the floor. He saw the dwarves put their bags on the floor, and get blankets out. He realised they were stopping for the night.

'Where are you taking me?' he asked the group in general. No one replied, so he just curled up, and tried to get some sleep.

Sleep eluded Murtagh. After several hours, he heard the Dwarves light a fire, and start to cook some meat. He opened his eyes slightly. The Dwarves and Kull were standing apart from each other, each group hunched over a fire. He could hear some murmured talking.

'I say we kill him now, and ditch the body in the tunnels.' From the sound of the voice, he assumed it was a dwarf.

'No' The largest Kull stood up, and snarled at the dwarves. Lady Nightstalker ordered us to retrieve the prisoner, and return.'

'But he deserves to die. He killed our king.'

The Kull snarled again, and lowered his horns. 'You were chosen for this mission because you are a Nighthawk. Do not dishonour us.'

The Dwarf stood firm, but looked slightly subdued. At any rate, he did not reply. Murtagh suddenly sat up. 'Who are you? And where is Thorn?'

He looked around at the staring group. Beside him, there was a dwarf he had not noticed before. He had large steel spike on his knuckles, one of which he had removed, and was now rolling it around in his fingers threateningly.

The dwarf growled softly. 'No questions, prisoner.'

Another dwarf, who appeared to be the leader said 'No, he should at least know something.'

The Kull snarled in agreement.

The Dwarf continued: 'We are the Nighthawks. We were sent to retrieve you by Lady Nightstalker. That is all you shall learn of us. As for Thorn, he is still in Uru'Baen.'

'Why haven't you got him as well?' Murtagh asked, trying to work out who it was that the dwarf called Nightstalker.

The dwarf laughed nervously, and gestured around him. 'Do you really think a dragon would fit in these tunnels?'

Murtagh nodded acceptingly. 'But you still haven't told me where you are taking me.'

'We are taking you to...'

Before he could reveal more, the largest Kull growled a deep warning.

'...To Lady Nightstalker.' The dwarf finished.

___________

Eragon and Saphira floated behind the shade in the darkness of the rolling tunnel. The tunnel was heading downwards sharply. Eragon assumed they were heading down so that they did not end up bursting through the side of the hill.

Eragon could still feel the shades presence in his mind, taking over that mental room which was usually filled by Saphira. He tried to reach out to her with his mind, but the shade immediately suppressed his efforts. When the tunnel eventually levelled out, they spent several hours tunnelling along.

Looking up, which was the only direction Eragon could look, he saw the roof of the tunnel changing, from rock to earth, to now a damp rock surface. Eragon assumed they were heading somewhere under water. After a few more minutes, they stopped. Eragon found that he could move his head slightly, so he did, and looked to see why they had stopped. In front of him, he saw the shade had stopped, and was looking both left and right, up and down an old tunnel.

[i](First part is set just after Eragon revived Arya)[/i]

**Chapter 48 **

Nasuada pulled herself shakily to her feet. Around her, she saw many of the Varden lying on the floor, or leaning on trees or poles as they too regained consciousness. [i]Whatever it was, it was powerful.[/i] Nasuada made a note to ask Eragon or Blodhgarm, whoever she saw first, what happened. She walked towards her tenet, where the Nighthawks were stationed.

She was relieved to see that all of her guards, with the exception of one or two, were on their feet, was trying to reorganise themselves to combat the newest threat. When they saw Nasuada approach, they all sprang to attention, their weapons raised, looking all around for a possible trick or threat.

'My Lady' Captain Garven said 'I am glad to see you are well.'

'Of course' she said sternly.

Before Garven could reply, there was a roar from a Kull as he spotted someone running frantically towards Nasuada. Before she could blink, the Nighthawks had leapt forwards, and formed a ring around her, with their weapons drawn, ready to strike. The man who was running at her pulled to a halt.

'No! Don't! Stop!'

One of the Nighthawks ran forwards, and grabbed the man. He marched him forward in an arm lock so that he would not pose a threat.

'What do you want?' Nasuada asked him, her voice trembling as a result of the drain on her strength, and the shock of the man's sudden appearance.

'My Lady. I strayed from the camp to try and hunt for some extra food in the woods. But I felt a strange presence enter my mind, and take all of my strength. I fainted, then awoke a few minutes later. However, I had forgotten where I was. I stumbled through the woods until I came across a small cave. I went in, and found that it led to a tunnel. I left the cave, and gathered some dry wood to light a torch. I went back in, and looked both ways. To the east, it rose slightly, and was headed in a straight line for as far as I could see. In the other direction, it headed downwards steadily, going for many miles. I then left the tunnel, determined to find and tell you.'

Nasuada puzzled over his information for a few minutes. Eventually she spoke. 'Release him' she said to the guard holding him 'And summon Jeod'

'Very well' The guard released him, and ran off into the mass of tents.

________________

Blodhgarm stood, and headed for the stairs.

'Where are you going?' Arya asked him.

'To find some paper so I can document these words. If they truly do form the name of magic, it needs to be remembered, partly so I can show Islanzadi, and partly because of the amount of time so many of our race has spent trying to discover it.'

'Are you sure? Would it not be better for it to be forgotten again? What if someone with less than moral intentions were to find this paper?'

Blodhgarm stopped to think about it. 'Yes, I suppose so.' He said slowly. He stopped to think. Eventually he spoke again. 'I will still write it down, but only to show your mother, and Eragon. He should know, as it may be the only way to defeat Galbatorix.' Seeing the look of disapproval on her face, she hurriedly added in the ancient language 'But I will destroy the document as soon as they have seen it.'

Arya nodded, accepting his offer. He disappeared into the tower.

________________

Eventually Murtagh fell into an uneasy slumber, his torn back still paining him. But suddenly, his rest was interrupted by someone viciously shaking him. He raised his arm to warn them off, but it had no effect. He grudgingly stood, and rubbed his eyes.

He saw that the Dwarves and Kull were already stood and ready to proceed. He winced as he stretched his back to far. [i]I must heal myself soon, when I have the strength.'[/i] Just as a test, he tried to reach out to use magic. To his dismay, he found that the drugs he had been given were still affecting him, and he could not use magic.

The Kull set off at a slow run, followed by half of the Dwarves who plodded along behind them. The other half were behind Murtagh, to ensure he could not escape. They headed along the tunnel, which ran for as far as Murtagh could see. It was on a slight downwards slope.

**Chapter 49**

After only a few minutes of waiting, Nasuada saw the Nighthawk returning, Jeod by his side. Jeod was almost running, despite his obvious exhaustion. [i]It affected him too. I wonder how much damage it did.[/i] Nasuada thought.

As they drew closer, Nasuada could see that the scholar was clutching a large object under his arm. She walked forward, trying to lessen the time before she could ask about the tunnel. She did not have to wait long.

'Why have you summoned me Lady Nasuada?'

Nasuada was in too much of a rush to answer him, and launched straight into the news of the tunnel. 'So, do you know anything about this tunnel?' she finished breathlessly.

It was then she realised what Jeod was holding, as he brought it up. He opened Domia abr Wyrda, and flicked through the thick pages.

'My Lady, there is one mention of a tunnel running from Uru'Baen to Dras' Leona. This may be what you have found.'

'If you knew of it, why did you not tell me? The Varden could have made use of this tunnel long ago.' Nasuada started to raise her voice as she lost her temper.

'My Lady. Even if I had told you, the Varden would have been stupid to use this tunnel.'

'Why?' Nasuada demanded.

'Because, this tunnel, it was created by Galbatorix for the purpose of allowing Shades into Uru'Baen without anyone else knowing.'

'It's a Shade tunnel?'

'Yes My Lady.

'Well, it should be safe to use it now. Durza died long ago, and Arya killed the last one. I very much doubt there will be another anywhere in Alagaesia.'

'But Lady Nasuada, what are you saying? It is far too dangerous to use this tunnel. For even if there are no more Shades, the King knows of its existence. He may well have guards posted near its exit.'

'No matter. You may go now.' Jeod turned and left, his annoyance at Nasuada ignoring his warning plain for all to see. When he had left, Nasuada turned to the Nighthawks, and gestured for Nar Garzvog and Narheim to follow her.

'I want you two to lead some the Nighthawks through the tunnel into Uru'Baen. When you get there, you will explore the castle, and find and enter the treasure room. You will look for items which vary in size from that of a clenched fist to that of a small rock. They will vary in colour.'

'Could you be more specific Lady Nightstalker?' Nar growled.

'No. I am afraid I cannot, nor can I tell you what they are. But know this, they are incredibly valuable, and will aid us in the fight against the King greatly.'

The Kull and Dwarf turned to leave and marshal the Nighthawks they would take, when Nasuada called to them. 'Oh, and if you can, retrieve Murtagh. I believe he is not all evil.'

Nar Garzvog growled in consent, and Narheim just nodded briskly.

___________

After a few minutes of peering down the tunnel both ways, the Shade headed to the left. Eragon continued to gaze at the blank, repetitive rock roof. As time went by, he saw that it was getting damper and damper. It was covered in patches of green mould.

They continued down the tunnel for many miles, until they eventually reached a sharp corner, which, after a few metres led straight into a blank wall. But unlike the previous time, the Shade did not start to tunnel again, but instead, it said a few words in the ancient language which Eragon could not understand.

To Eragon's surprise, the entire wall slid to the side, revealing a huge cave behind. The Shade went in, magically dragging Eragon and Saphira behind it. When Saphira's tail had passed the opening, the rock slid rapidly back into place with a loud [i]bang[/i].

The Shade flicked a finger, and throughout the cave candles flickered into life. Around him, Eragon could see a table and chair, and a small bed. The walls were covered with shelves which groaned with jars containing various organs and small animals pickled in some strange liquid. The outlines of which appeared as though through a thick fog, forming an eerie background to mysterious lair.

**Chapter 50**

An hour after receiving Nasuada's instructions, the mixed group of Dwarves and Kull were hurrying down the tunnel as fast as they could. Their nerves were on a precipice, despite the knowledge that there was no shade alive to use the tunnel.

Shrrgnein found himself at the back of the group. As they ran, he fingered his knuckle spikes to reassure himself. No-one spoke as they tried to conserve energy. After many hours of running, the tunnel stopped going uphill, and turned a slight corner. Several metres further along the tunnel, there was a blank wall.

Narheim strode forward and rapped the rock with the hilt of his axe. There was a strange hollow sound which sounded like no rock Shrrgnein had heard before.

'I think we are under Uru'Baen.' Narheim said.

Nar Garzvog growled and pushed past Narheim. He tried to find a grip on the sheer rock. After a few seconds, he gave up, and leant against it instead. He pushed with all his strength, but to no avail. With a grunt, he walked back, and readied himself to charge. Shrrgnein stepped back and rested against the wall. There was a grating noise as rock slid against rock. Shrrgnein jumped forward off the wall in shock. The rocky slab slid back into place.

'What did you do?' Narheim asked.

'I leant against the wall.' Shrrgnein said simply.

'Do it again.'

Shrrgnein obeyed, and leant on the wall. Once more, the rock slid open. When he moved, it slammed shut again.

'Right, you, you and you' Narheim gestured at three Dwarves. 'You stay here. When you hear the signal, three knocks on the door, open it. The rest of you, follow me.'

The three Dwarves nodded and moved towards the pressure pad. One of them leant against the wall in the same way that Shrrgnein did, and the door slid open. Most of the Dwarves, and all of the Kull darted through the opening. The instant they were all through, the door slammed shut.

The group quickly made their way through the many passages and corridors of Galbatorix's castle. Whenever they came to a staircase, they went up, reasoning that the treasure room would probably be near the roof. As they passed a window, Shrrgnein peered out, and saw four brown dragons circling high above the city. He fingered one of his knuckle spikes again, trying a calm himself.

Somehow they managed to avoid most of the guards, the only ones the encountered were those they surprised and killed from behind before they could react. Eventually, they reached a large door which was twice the height of a Kull, and the wider than the tunnel they had been going down. It was made from a solid wood, which could only have come from a mighty tree deep in the forest. There were two steel bars across it, thicker than Shrrgnein's entire body.

Nar Garzvog growled at this new challenge. He ran at the door, and bounced straight off it again. It was hard for Shrrgnein not to laugh, but he realised that the Kull would attack before he could blink. Narheim then walked towards the door, and hit the lower bar with an almighty blow from his axe. The other dwarves followed suit, trying to split the bar. But their efforts were in vain. Due to some dark magic of the King's, it would not split, no matter what they tried to do to break it.

'We should just go before anyone realises we are here.' Narheim muttered, almost too quietly for anyone to hear.

But somehow, Garzvog managed. 'We were told to retrieve the items, or Murtagh.' He growled at the Dwarf. 'We cannot do one, so we will do the other.'

At that moment, a scream pierced the air, coming from some dungeon deep underground.

'That's him. Let's go.' Garzvog finished.

The group turned, and made for the nearest set of stairs. They hurried down, until the lead Kull stopped and listened to the growing shrieks. 'This way' he growled. They silently darted down the corridor towards the screams.

Suddenly, they heard the creaking of a man in heavy armour walking towards them. They panicked, and rushed through the closest door. They were not a minute too soon. Almost as soon as the door closed, they heard the man walk past, and the screams stop. Shrrgnein unscrewed a spike and rolled it between his fingers, the metal cool against his skin.

He turned round, and realised that they were in an abandoned torture chamber. Lining three walls were various implements, designed to cause untold agony. The tools of a madman. In the centre of the room was a rack, its last occupant still in place. The skin of the corpse had shrunk with age, so the look of pain on its face was now contorted even further. In some places, the skin had rotted entirely, the bones of the rack's final victim poking through. On the fourth wall, there were several chains attached to the wall, at the ends of which was a skeleton. To top off the eerie effect, everything was coated in a thick veneer of dust.

The Nighthawks stayed in the room for several minutes, until they heard the armoured man walk past once more, this time heading in the opposite direction. They quickly exited the room, leaving the grisly occupants to their dust filled slumber.

They continued on their path, until they rounded another corner, and saw several guards standing outside a door. They ran forward, drawing their weapons as they went, intending to cut down the men before they realised what happened. However, it was not to be. The corridor was longer than they thought, and the guards had time to draw their swords, and defend themselves. Despite this, they were quickly cut down. There was a fine, red mist in the air when the final guard dropped lifeless to the floor. Shrrgnein found himself standing by the. He tried the handle, and found that it would not budge, so he hit it instead, the sharp spikes on his knuckles tearing through the wood. But the door did not break.

'Hit it again Shrrgnein' Narheim said.

Just as he prepared to do so, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

'Out of my way.' Garzvog said.

The huge Kull took one look at the door, and charged at it. To everyone's surprise, and his most of all, the door crashed to the ground, causing a huge cloud of dust and chips of stone to fly into the air.

**Chapter 51**

Eragon was floating about a foot above the floor, at the opposite side of the cave to Saphira. He stared at the shade, who was preparing some foul brew above a small fire. Eragon tried to contact Saphira with his mind, but his effort was instantly suppressed by the shade. Eragon wondered how it could not only prepare whatever it was it was it was making, and have the strength to control both himself and Saphira's mind all at once.

Suddenly, he felt another presence touch his mind.

[i]'Eragon! Can you hear me?'[/i]

'[i]Gleadr? Is that you?[/i]' Eragon asked silently.

'[i]I believe you were told to call me Ebrithil Eragon...'[/i]

[i]'Fine, Ebrithil. How can you talk to me like this? Whenever I try to contact Saphira, the shade stops me.'[/i]

[i]'Because I am more intelligent than it. Also, it is only blocking your ability to contact Saphira, but not anything, or anyone else. It did not think to block off all you ability to contact beings mentally, as it believes that there is no one else here.'[/i]

[i]'Well, that explains it, sort of.'[/i] Eragon accepted. '[i]But what do we do now?'[/i]

[i]'You wait. When I next contact you, I will tell you what to do. Until then,...just don't do anything you will regret.'[/i]

'[i]What do you mean?[/i] Eragon tried to ask, but Gleadr had gone, and he could once more feel the shades presence in his head.

Even as he felt the fell creature return to his mind, it turned to face him.

'It is good to be back, yes?' it hissed. When Eragon did not reply, it continued. 'But now, we will have some fun.' It walked towards Eragon, a pot of some fetid liquid in its hand '[i]Gollum, Gollum[/i]' it coughed suddenly.

Eragon felt the shades grip on his mind lessen slightly, so he could talk.

'What do you want?' he spat

'Revenge' came his hissed reply. The shade walked right up to Eragon, and forced open his mouth. Eragon tried to resist, but with the shades presence in his mind, he could do nothing, but watch as the foul liquid was poured down his throat.

When all of it had gone, the shade released its grip on Eragon, and he crashed to the ground. Huron turned and walked to the other edge of the cave. Eragon tried to stand, and to his surprise, he found that he could, with assistance from the wall. In the same instant, the shade whipped round, and flicked a finger at Eragon. He crashed back to the floor.

The shade then went to the exit of the cave, re-opened the hole in the wall, and disappeared, the rock sliding back into place. Eragon looked round, and saw that Saphira was still floating about a foot from the floor, but she was getting lower by the second. Eragon tried to contact her, but found his ability to use magic was gone. [i]That must have been what it gave me[/i] he thought.

Eragon stood up once more, and by the time he was on his feet, Saphira had touched the floor. Suddenly, Eragon felt Gleadr touch his mind once more.

'[i]Eragon. Can you hear me?'[/i]

'[i]Yes Ebrithil. Do you know what we are going to do yet?'[/i]

'[i]Yes, we wait, for the shade to return.[/i]' Gleadr quickly described his plan to Eragon.

[i]'Does Saphira know about it?'[/i]

'[i]Yes, I told her just before I told you. She agrees it is the best option.'[/i]

'[i]Alright, we'll do it. But I hope it returns before long.[/i]'

Gleadr left Eragon's mind then. He looked around, trying to spot his sword, which he quickly realised was still in the hills where the shade caught him. [i]I hope Evarinya found it, Rhunon would kill me if I lost it.[/i]

**Chapter 52**

Half an hour later, the shade still had not returned. Eragon had been gradually giving his legs more exercise, and he was now able to walk properly, without the aid of a wall. He was demonstrating this by constantly pacing the cave.

Gleadr once more touched his mind. [i]'Eragon, stay on the floor! The shade could return at any moment, and we need it to think you are still incapable of movement.[/i]'

'[i]Sorry Ebrithil, I am just nervous. I want it to return [/i] now, [i]this wait is driving me mad!.'[/i]

'[i]Calm down. It is hard for both of us. Especially me, for once the inspiration to use magic comes over a dragon, it is incredibly hard for us to not use it. The effort would be enough to kill me, were I still technically alive.'[/i]

Eragon started to nod, but realised that Gleadr could not see him. He crumpled back to the floor in the same place that the shade had dropped him.

He was not a moment too soon. The rock slid open, and Huron entered the rocky lair. When it was a few metres into the cave, it slammed shut again.

[i]'Now!'[/i] Gleadr shouted with his mind.

Eragon sprang to his feet, and ran to Saphira's side. He climbed onto her back, and crouched low into the saddle. He took several deep breaths, as he knew he would need all the air he could contain in his lungs in the coming minutes.

Eragon saw the look of shock on Huron's pale face as she saw Eragon move with such speed. He felt the sudden burst of power as Gleadr released the magic he had been storing. He looked up and saw the cracks in the ceiling. And he heard the hiss of water spraying through the cracks.

Eragon could feel his ears popping due to the immense build up of pressure behind the roof. He took a final deep breath, and pressed himself into Saphira's back. And then, all hell broke loose.

The water from the lake above came bursting into the weakened cave. It took only seconds for the water to reach Eragon's waist, even though he was high on Saphira's back. Eragon took one final look around the cave, and was shocked by the destruction wrecked in seconds. All of the jars had smashed, their gruesome contents were floating round the room. Eragon also saw that the rock door had been split in two, and he saw Huron being swept from room, and along the tunnel.

By that time, the water was above Eragon's head. Saphira waited another few seconds, then started to swim towards the hole in the roof.

_________

Murtagh was forced to run harder and faster than he had ever run before. He was glad that he had some energy in a jewel, hidden in his boot. He drew on this gratefully, and continued to run, sandwiched between the Kull and Dwarves, all of whom would willingly rip him apart at a moment's notice.

After several more hours of running, he saw that the group was slowing down.

'We are almost there now' Shrrgnein muttered to him.

'Where is [i]there[/i]?' Murtagh mouthed back.

Before he could get an answer, Murtagh felt an incredible burst of magic, gushing from some unknown source.

'Did you feel that?' he asked his guards.

They all shook their heads, indicating that none of them were skilled in magic. But then again, they did not need to be to sense that something was wrong. There was a sudden rumble which echoed down the tunnel. Murtagh thought it was thunder, then realised that they were underground, and there was no way they would be able to hear thunder.

'RUN!' Murtagh heard the lead Kull shout.

Everything became blurred as the group started to madly sprint forwards. Murtagh was dimly aware of the Dwarves pushing past him in their haste to reach the exit. Murtagh followed a second later, as the rumble became a crushing roar.

Then, there was a hind of daylight peeking through the side of the tunnel ahead of them. The entire group redoubled their efforts in a desperate attempt to reach the exit. The second they reached the gap, they all dived out, and ran away from the hole in the ground.

As the last one in the tunnel, Murtagh looked both ways, and saw what was causing the noise. Coming towards him from the other direction was a wall of water. As he burst through the exit, he thought he saw a flash of red hair in the maelstrom, but then it was gone.

The sudden brightness of the sun after so long underground made him freeze for a second, then he remembered what was coming. He threw himself to the side, and was not a second too soon. The jet of water which sprayed from the hole in the ground was greater than the mightiest fountain in all of Alagaesia.

It continued for several seconds, a glorious jet of water which looked like a rainbow as it reflected the suns light. Then, the pressure dropped, and the flow abated to little more than a trickle. Murtagh slowly stood up, and peered into the tunnel he had just left. All he could see was water flowing rapidly past him, towards Uru'Baen. Caught on a rock beside the entrance, he saw a single strand of red hair.

'[i]Barzul[/i]' he heard one of the Dwarves curse. And he thought that summed it up nicely.

**Chapter 53**

Arya did not have to wait long for Blodhgarm to return. He hurriedly wrote down the engraved words, and muttered a spell to hide them.

'If I am right, it is better that no-one is able to find the original engravings.'

Arya nodded silently, her mind else ware, and her eyes scanning the hollow between the hills.

'What is it Arya-Drottningu? You seem oblivious to what is happening around you.'

Arya turned her head slightly to stare at Blodhgarm. 'I am sorry. It is just, I worry about Eragon. I know he and Saphira were here, but now they are not. I worry because I just know he has found the biggest pile of trouble possible, and jumped in it. And I worry because I don't want him to get hurt.'

Blodhgarm looked at her and said, 'Alright. We should head back towards Dras' Leona. They may have some news of Eragon, or he may even be there.'

Again Arya nodded. She turned to follow Blodhgarm down the stairs, towards her waiting dragon, when something caught her eye.

'Wait! What is that?'

Blodhgarm span round. 'I cannot see anything.'

'There' Arya pointed, towards the spot where they found the blood trail. 'It was a glint of metal.'

Leaving Blodhgarm to earnestly look for the elusive glint, Arya ran so fast down the stair, she was almost jumping. Within seconds, she had reached the base of the tower, and was hurrying towards the metallic glint she had seen.

'[i]Arya, what is it?[/i]' Kveykva's voice rang round her head.

'[i]I saw something, near where the blood splats were.'[/i]

Kveykva did not reply, but started to land near the base of the tower. A minute later, Arya was at the spot she saw something at. She scanned the area, and quickly saw what she was looking for. Half buried beneath the dust was a metallic blue object. She brushed away all the dust, and gasped, for before her, lying on the ground, was Eragon's sword, Brisingr.

Arya picked it up, and clutched it to her chest. [i]I hope he is alright, wherever he is[/i] she thought to herself. Just at that moment, Blodhgarm arrived. He noticed the sword Arya held, and was silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke.

'We should go back now.'

Arya nodded, still clutching Brisingr like it her most prized possession. They were soon at the base of the tower once more. Kveykva was waiting for them. Blodhgarm helped Arya up, then he quickly followed.

_______________

The instant Saphira started to swim, Eragon readied himself for the crushing weight of the water all around them. She quickly reached the hole in the destroyed roof of the cavern, and pushed forwards, into the depths of Leona Lake.

As they swam, Eragon was reminded of the morning when he and Saphira went swimming in the lake, before they rescued Arya, and before Brom died. Eragon was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness when he thought of the father he had never known.

Saphira realised this, and said, [i]'Don't be sad Eragon, he is at peace. And when we are out of this lake, we can go and visit his tomb.'[/i]

'[i]I would like that[/i]' Eragon said.

Saphira angled herself so that they were swimming straight up. However, so deep was the lake, that even after a few minutes, the surface seemed no closer. Eragon's felt as though his lungs would burst from the lack of air. Saphira realised this, and doubled her efforts to escape the lakes crushing waters.

Eventually, just before Eragon fainted with the effort of holding his breath, they burst into the air. Eragon blinked repeatedly as the sudden light of day hit him after spending so long underground. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around, and saw that they were near the centre of the lake. The city of Dras' Leona was just visible in the east.

'[i]Nothing like a nice swim to wake you up.[/i]' Saphira said.

Eragon finally realised that he could once again speak to Saphira.

[i]'Saphira! I can hear you again!'[/i]

'[i]Yes Eragon, and you have been talking to me ever since we left the cave.[/i]'

'[i]Have I? I can't remember anything between the water flooding in, and now.[/i]'

**Chapter 54**

Kveykva, Arya and Blodhgarm flew rapidly back towards Dras' Leona. They flew in silence for several hours as Kveykva flew unsteadily, trying to adjust to the added weight on her back.

Eventually, they neared the city. Just within eyesight was Leona lake, its calm surface mirrored the sky. Suddenly, there was a giant rumble lasting for several seconds, and then all was silent. Two minutes later, the calm surface was disturbed by a massive fountain erupting from the centre.

[i]'What do you think it is?'[/i] Arya asked her dragon.

[i]I don't know, but let's find out.'[/i]

Kveykva doubled her speed as she tried to see what it was. The fountain lasted several seconds. In that time, Kveykva was able to take Arya close enough so they could see what caused the eruption. Arya gasped, as at the head of the fountain was a brilliant sapphire dragon.

____________

Murtagh was stood next to the tunnel exit which he passed through just minutes before. In front of him was a raging torrent of water. Caught on one of the nearby rocks was a single strand of red hair.

Murtagh picked it off the rock and twisted it round his fingers. [i]I wonder who this came from, and why it is here.[/i].

Before he could think more on the matter, someone came and grabbed his shoulder.

'Don't move,' he heard a growl next to his ear. He slowly looked round, and found himself looking at a Kull. He stayed silent, and allowed himself to be led back to the group of Nighthawks.

'This way' he heard one say.

He found himself in the centre of the group, being led towards the edge of the woods they were in. After walking for about a mile, they had left the forest. They were heading towards a mass of tents. Murtagh shuddered as he realised that they were near where he killed Arya. He braced himself for the worst as they entered the sea of tents.

The Nighthawks were leading him towards the centre of the tents. He realised that ahead of him was a large tent, which he recognised as Nasuada's. [i]So she sent them to get me.[/i]

________

Huron gestured with her finger. The rock door slid open. She froze with shock, as, instead of seeing Eragon lying on the floor in agony, she saw him sat on his dragon. She moved to react, but before she could, she felt an incredibly powerful blast of magic.

Cracks appeared in the roof of the cavern. She saw jets of water appearing through the cracks. She heard the hiss as the jets grew into streams, then into a raging torrent. The cave started to flood rapidly.

Huron felt water rising round her feet. She tried to use magic to stop the flow, but felt an unknown presence blocking her mind. She started to panic as the water rose to her waist. Suddenly, the cave door broke with the force of the water. She felt her feet being swept away from under her.

She was forced from the cave, and down the tunnel. The water raged around her as it forced her further and further from her lair. After several seconds, she had passed the spot she forced entry into the tunnel. As she was twisted around by the water, she saw the vague shapes of several figures running down the tunnel towards her, then disappearing through a hole in the side.

As she passed this hole, she felt her hair getting snagged on a rock. She tried to scream in agony as a large clump of hair was ripped from her head. But water filled her mouth and lungs. She struggled for breath, then realised that she was not in danger of drowning as shades did not breath.

But then, she was twisted round to once more face the dry section of tunnel ahead. There right angled turn straight ahead. Huron then panicked with good cause, and turned to try and swim against the powerful tidal wave which was bearing her towards the solid rock wall.

Huron found herself slammed up against the wall with great force. The impact broke her back in several places, and caused her neck to snap. She flicked her eyes downwards, and saw a large rock protruding from her belly. The water around her swirled in a sea of red.

She weakly lifted a hand to eye level. It was rapidly turning grey. The water around her turned from red to grey as a grey mist formed. She howled as she realised what was happening. And then there was nothing. As that was left, the only sign of her existence, was a dark cape which floated to the roof of the tunnel. And a single red hair, wrapped around the finger of a prisoner.

**Chapter 55**

Saphira turned and headed for Dras' Leona, making several dives in quick succession to shake off the water trapped in her scales. In the distance, Eragon could see a bright yellow shape.

[i]'Is that Kveykva?'[/i] Eragon asked Saphira.

'[i]Well, I can't think of any other bright yellow dragons...'[/i]

'[i]I hope Arya is with her.[/i]' Eragon replied.

[i]'I thought I told you not to chase after her...[/i]'

Before Saphira could finish, Eragon said '[i]You know what she said to me, and what I feel for her. You shouldn't be so jealous Saphira.'[/i]

Saphira grunted indignantly. '[i]I have a right to be jealous. There is no-one for me.[/i]

'[i]What? There is Sverdar, and you saw all of the wild dragons. There's bound to be a mate for you somewhere.'[/i]

'[i]But none of them felt right. Maybe there will be a suitable mate in those eggs we brought back.'[/i]

By the time they had finished arguing, Kveykva was much closer. It was also obvious that the yellow dragon was heading towards them. It also seemed as though she was struggling to maintain her altitude. Suddenly, she appeared to drop from the sky, but Eragon realised she was landing rapidly.

In the distance, Eragon saw a figure get off her back, and run towards the city. He saw the dragon take off again, and fly towards them once more.

'[i]I think Arya is with her'[/i] Eragon said.

'[i]It certainly looks that way.'[/i]

Eragon did not have to wait long to see if he was right. After a few minutes of flying, Saphira was almost alongside Kveykva. Eragon could clearly see Arya sat on her back.

'Eragon! Your alright!'

Eragon did not know how to reply, so simply said 'Where were you?'

To his surprise, Arya looked as though she was about to jump across to Saphira's back, but when Kveykva looked round and poked her playfully with her nose.

'Eragon. Land, so we talk properly.'

'Alright'

'There's a clearing over there. Kveykva will show you the way.'

With that, Kveykva turned, and darted through the air towards the land. Saphira followed swiftly. After a few minutes, Eragon could see the clearing Arya had been talking about. They landed, and Eragon and Arya got off their dragons.

Arya led Eragon away from Kveykva and Saphira so they could talk alone. When they were in the trees, Arya spoke.

'This is yours.' She said, and handed Eragon Brisingr.

'You found it!' he said, delighted to be reunited with his blade. He drew the sword, and ran a finger down its length. He muttered its name, and it burst into flames. Eragon smiled as he saw that his sword was un-damaged.

'Now, tell me, what happened to you? We found the body of an old man in the same hills I found Brisingr.'

'Arya, there...there was a shade.' Eragon said in the ancient language, just to make sure Arya believed him.

A look of shock grew on Arya's face. 'A shade? How?'

'I don't know. But, it captured Saphira and me. It took me to its lair, under the lake. But Gleadr broke the cave, and flooded it. I think the shade drowned.'

'Eragon...You can't drown a shade. They don't breathe.'

'I wonder what happened to it. Anyway, you still haven't told me where you went.'

Eragon saw Arya tense. A puzzled look passed over face, and then, quicker than a human eye could see, she had grabbed Eragon, and pulled him into a tight embrace. It seemed to Eragon as though the floodgates had opened, as tears poured down Arya's face.

'Arya, what's wrong?'

'I...I was so w...worried about you. And a sh...shade. Y...you are lucky to s...survive another one. I...I don't know wh...what I would have d...done without y...you.'

Tears continued to stream down her face. Eragon was stunned by Arya's rare display of emotion. He decided it was better not to tell her that the shade was Durza and Varug combined. He simply pulled her in tighter, and kissed her.

________________

'Sir, Murtagh has escaped.' The guard trembled as he told the king the bad news.

'I know that. What I want to know is how. How he was able to get out without my knowledge.'

The guard shook even more as he fell under the kings withering gaze. 'I will find out sir.'

'Good. Do it now.'

'Yes sir.' The guard turned and almost ran from the throne room.

[i]How did he do it? He couldn't have used the shades tunnel, could he? No-one knows about it expect me, and Durza. But that Rider killed Durza long ago. Still, i should check anyway.[/i]

Galbatorix rose, and went to the door. With a flick of a finger he opened them, causing the guards outside to leap into the air in shock as the doors hit the wall. He headed for the nearest staircase, and headed as far down as he could. Eventually he was in the corridor which contained the tunnel.

When he reached the exact spot of the tunnel entrance, he put his ear to the door. To his surprise, he could hear a strange sound, like water whirling against it. [i]How can there be water in the tunnel?[/i]

Wary of a trick, he stood back, and flicked a finger. The door swung open, and a torrent of water flooded out. He was glad he had stood back, as the torrent lasted for several seconds. By the time it had finished, the water was lapping at the bottom of the stairs as either end of corridor.

The water had risen enough to cover his ankles, so he waded forwards, and peered into the gloom of the tunnel. With a single word, he lit the tunnel for as far as he could see. The entire tunnel appeared to be flooded. Just as he turned to leave, he felt something wrap itself round his feet. He gazed down. It was a black cape.

**Chapter 56**

Murtagh felt as though everyone in Alagaesia was staring at him, yet it was only about half of the Varden. As he was led through the mass of people, many insults were thrown at him. He only heard a few over din.

'Traitor, murderer, you should die, puppet of the king,' and many more like it. He bowed his head, and carried on walking.

So great was the mass of people come to heckle him, that the Nighthawks had to barge their way through the crowd. Occasionally, they would meet with a group of people who would not move, despite the Nighthawks pushing. Whenever this happened, Nar Garzvog raised his head and let out a tremendous roar. He was often joined by several of the other Kull. The ringing roars reminded Murtagh of Thorn, and he was suddenly filled with longing for his dragon, still prisoner in Uru'Baen.

The walk seemed to take a lifetime, but eventually, they were outside the tent. There were two more Nighthawks stood by the entrance flaps. Wordlessly, the pulled them aside. Within the tent, Murtagh could see Nasuada, King Orrin, and many other high ranking officials.

__________________

It was the morning after Nasuada had sent her elite Nighthawks through the newly discovered shade tunnel to Uru'Baen, in the hope that they could retrieve some of Galbatorix's Eldunari. [i]Or Murtagh[/i] she thought to herself, [i]Or Murtagh. I wonder which they will return with. The Eldunari would help us end this war, but Murtagh... If it is just one, I hope it is he.[/i]

She slowly got out of bed, glad that she had remained dressed from the night before. As she moved through the small tent, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, one of the few solid objects she brought with her on the campaign. She froze as she saw how weary and stressed she appeared. [i]When I can, I must find some way to relax. But not until this is over,[/i] she caught herself thinking.

She made her way through the tent flaps, moving past the two human Nighthawks standing outside her tent. [i]I wish they weren't necessary.[/i] Their presence annoyed her, as it portrayed her as weak, yet she tolerated them, as she knew she was vital to the running of the Varden, and that all hope would be lost if she were assassinated by the empire. Before she could walk another few steps, someone grabbed her shoulder.

'Hello' a cheerful voice said. Nasuada turned round, and saw the smiling face of Angela.

'Oh. It's you.' Nasuada said, definitely relieved.

'You sound as though you're not pleased to see me.' Angela replied.

Nasuada laughed. It was hard not to when talking to the indomitable figure stood before her. 'No, just surprised.'

Before Angela could reply, she heard a purr, and saw Solembum leap onto Angela's shoulder.

'He's never far from you is he?' Nasuada asked.

'Well, it's more like the other way round. I follow him. But anyway, I wanted to speak to you.'

'Yes, I was wondering why you jumped me like that.'

'If you would let me finish...'

'Sorry' Nasuada said meekly.

'You see, there you go again, never letting me speak.'

Nasuada moved to apologise, but Angela stopped her by raising her hand.

'Anyhow, I wished to speak to you about some disturbing news I have heard. I have learnt that you sent your guards to Uru'Baen, through a tunnel.'

[i]How does she know about that?[/i] Nasuada thought. [i]Jeod was the only other person who knew about this mission.[/i]

Her puzzlement must have shown on her face, as Angela said 'I see you are wondering how I know that. Well, Solembum told me.'

The Werecat on her should emitted a contented meow.

'I have known about that tunnel for years, and, were I there, I would have stopped you from sending [i]anyone[/i] down it.'

'Why? There are no shades to use it, Galbatorix would not suspect it, and no-one else knew of it, except, seemingly, you.'

'Well, that's where your wrong.'

By now, they had almost reached the main pavilion which Nasuada used to plan their movements.

'We can talk in there.' She said.

Surprisingly, Angela did not seem to be bothered about being silenced like this, she nodded, and they entered together. There was no-one there, except two more Nighthawks, standing guard on the inside. Upon seeing Nasuada, they stood to attention and went outside.

Angela looked as though she was fit to burst by the time they were seated at the large table which dominated the room.

'Good. Now, as I was saying, you are wrong. You should not have sent anyone down that tunnel. Yesterday, as I am sure you are aware, almost everyone in the Varden fainted at around the same time. You probably felt that as well.'

Nasuada nodded as she realised that Angela was talking about the massive drain of her strength, from which she had still not recovered.

'But, what you may not have realised' Angela continued, 'Is that just before that, something happened. I don't know what, but Solembum felt it too. In fact, most magic users probably felt it. It was just after that that someone caused everyone to lose consciousness. However, after that [i]incident[/i] Solembum told me that felt spirits being called. In other words, a shade was created.'

'How did he know?' Nasuada gasped.

'He is a creature of magic, so is more sensitive to things like that. But not normally. In fact, this is the first time he has been able to tell that it was a shade which was created, not just someone using them for a menial task. The only way for this to happen, would be if the shade was not created normally.'

'So, what your trying to tell me is that a shade was created, but spirits not were summoned.'

Angela nodded. A chill went down Nasuada's spine. [i]I hope it does not know of the tunnel, or its not using it. I almost wish I hadn't sent the Nighthawks.[/i]

'Have a nice day.' Angela said cheerfully. She waved and left the tent.

New stuff

Just as the flaps were closing, Nasuada felt a presence touch her mind. She tried to block it, but she wasn't fast enough. The presence hissed as it seeped though her mind.

'[i]Don't block me Lady Nasuada, I am a friend.[/i]'

[i]'Who are you?'[/i] Nasuada asked the foreign presence.

'[i]I have many names, but you need not trouble yourself with that. I have come to warn you.'[/i]

'[i]Warn me? Of what?'[/i]

Once more the presence hissed. '[i]Terrible things are coming. Coming closer, coming for you.'[i]

Before Nasuada could ask what it meant, the presence had gone, with what seemed like a very, very faint meow. [i]I must have imagined that meow.[/i] Nasuada thought to herself. [i]But still, what it said, whoever it was, what could it mean?[/i]

She pondered what both Angela, and the strange voice, had told her. After almost an hour, she heard a voice outside disturb her reverie.

'Lady Nasuada, your council has come.'

She realised it was a Nighthawk talking. 'Send them in,' she called back.

The tent flaps swung open, and in marched Jormunder, Umerth, Falberd, Sabrae and Ellsari. They were followed by King Orrin, and several of his generals. Queen Islanzadi also slipped in, almost unseen by anyone. She took her place at one end of the table.

Wordlessly the newcomers sat around the table. Nasuada waited for them all to be seated, then asked why it was they were there.

'My Lady, as you requested, we have come to discuss plans for the assault on Dras' Leona.'

'Did I' she said faintly. When she realised that she was being stared at by the assembly, so she continued. 'Ah yes, of course.' Nasuada rubbed her arms where the scabs from the Trial of Long Knives still pained her slightly.

'Do you have any plans My Lady?' Jormunder asked tentatively.

'Well, I wish to hear what others have to say, regarding our military, and peaceful, options, which will allow me to re-evaluate my plans,' Nasuada said. In truth she had been too pre-occupied with the strange warning to even consider thinking about the coming assault.

'Very well,' Jormunder said as he sat down.

King Orrin then stood. 'Nasuada, my cavalry are ready for an assault whenever you need them, but I am not sure how much use they will be in an enclosed city. As for other means, I have several powerful catapults, and the men to use them.'

'What about foot soldiers?' Nasuada asked.

'Few, too few to be of much use to your attack.' Orrin replied, a look of sadness on his face.

At that moment, Queen Islanzadi turned and stared around the table. 'The Elves will fight. Our swords want for the blood of the enemy.'

Before she could continue, shouting was heard from outside the tent.

'What the...' Nasuada muttered.

As if in response, a Nighthawk darted through the flaps to see what caused the commotion. He did not take long.

'My Lady, it is the Nighthawks you sent on a mission. They are coming this way, and they have a prisoner.'

Ignoring the confused stares from the assembled group, Nasuada gazed towards the tent walls. 'Murtagh.' She whispered.

She thought that no-one heard her, but she forgot about the sharp hearing of Queen Islanzadi.

'Why did you say Murtagh?' she asked Nasuada, 'Is he the prisoner the man spoke of?'

Nasuada was shocked, but knew she would have to be honest, as they would know soon enough. 'Yes' she said simply.

'Why did you not tell us about this sooner?' Islanzadi thundered.

Nasuada hung her head. 'I was planning on telling you, but not with everyone else here.'

Upon hearing this, everyone else in the tent sprang to their feet, and started to all protest at once.

'Silence!' Islanzadi ordered. 'Murtagh will probably be brought here. If he does, we must not let him know that Arya survived his assault. And look surprised, whatever you do.'

The group all sat down, humbled by the Queen of the Elves. Nasuada was glad the Islanzadi was so quick thinking at times like these. [i]I must thank her for this when I get a chance.[/i]

They were just in time. As they sat down, the tent flaps opened, and they saw the group of Nighthawks fighting their way through a crowd of the Varden. As they got climbed the steps into the pavilion, they saw that Murtagh was surrounded in the centre of the group of Kull and Dwarves.

______________  
'We will wait for Eragon and Saphira to return before we...' Murtagh heard Nasuada say, before she spun round and stared at him. A look of shock filled her face.

'Murtagh,' she gasped

**Chapter 57**

Eragon and Arya stood motionless in the clearing, like two statues locked in an eternal embrace. Eventually Eragon felt Arya push slightly against him. He quickly stepped back, releasing her. [i]I don't want to risk offending her, not now, not after all this.[/i]

'How did you escape?' he heard Arya say.

'It was not me, but Gleadr, like I said. The shade, Huron was its name, overpowered my mind, so that I could not use magic, or even talk to Saphira. But it overlooked Gleadr. He contacted me, and told me his plan to use magic to break the ceiling, and flood the cave. If Huron did not drown, it would have been crushed by the force of the water, I am sure of that.'

'I suppose so'

'But enough of this. Tell me how you came across my blade' he patted the hilt of Brisingr.

Arya nodded. 'I was in the woods when you arrived in that clearing, in a tree nearby, I thought you should know that.' She saw a look of surprise pass over Eragon's face, but it vanished quickly as she continued. 'I tried to let you know I was there, but you had gone by the time I was out of the tree. Kveykva and I tried to return to Dras' Leona, but we met Evarinya on the way. She told us that you told her to go to those hills.

'When we reached them, you had vanished. But there was a body.'

'An old man?' Eragon interrupted.

'Yes, how did you know?'

'I saw him too, after rescuing Katrina from Helgrind, and when I reached those hills.'

'Yes, well, on the roof of his tower, there was an engraving. Words. Blodhgarm believed them to be the true name of magic.' She paused to allow her words to sink in.

'What did you do?' Eragon asked, an evident look of awe in his face.

'Blodhgarm wrote it down, to show you, then he destroyed the carvings so that they did not fall into the wrong hands. He returned to the Varden with Evarinya.'

'Well we should go there too. I must see this, and anyway, we will be missed by Islanzadi and Nasuada.'

'Alright.'

They walked over to where their dragons were stood, obviously engaged in some private conversation. Eragon helped Arya climb onto Kveykva, which she allowed too Eragon's surprise. He climbed onto Saphira, and they took off together, and flew towards the city, which was but a smudge on the horizon.

---------------

'Murtagh' he heard Nasuada say. He remained silent, as he supposed was expected of him. Murtagh gazed up at the staring faces of the leaders of the resistance. He saw the looks of scorn and disgust, and felt as low as they wanted him. [i]No, I won't bow to them. I serve the king, not those who seek to destroy order.[/i]

As he thought about that though, his mind turned unbidden to what was happening to Thorn at that moment. [i]I hope I am able to see him again, this separation is destroying me.[/i]

'Murtagh Morzanson.' A sharp voice rang round his ears. He looked up again and saw that it was a tall elf women who spoke. [i]I suppose she is the queen of the elves.[/i]

'You stand accused of murder, and treachery. Not only did you kill Oromis, the last true Rider and his dragon, but you also slew in cold blood my daughter.'

Murtagh froze at this. [i]Arya was her daughter? Then, I killed the heir to the Elven throne. I'm in trouble...[/i] Then he spoke.

'Your majesty, I was forced to kill Oromis, as you say his name was, against my will. My arm was controlled by the king. And Arya, again, I was forced to do so, I was under oath in the ancient language, and the threat of my, and Thorn's death, hung over my head. I could not allow myself to die like that.'

Murtagh did not expect his words to have any effect on the assembled leaders, but to his surprise, the look on Nasuada's face soften, turn to kindness even.

'Murtagh,' she said gently, 'I would like to believe you, very much so, but you have misled me before. What I once felt has all but vanished. For your crimes, there is no excuse, so you leave me with no choice.' As she spoke, her voice became harsher and louder, so all could hear.

Murtagh saw a look of sadness pass over her face, but it was so fleeting, he was not sure if he had imagined it or not. The moment passed, and Nasuada continued.

'You leave me with no choice, Murtagh Morzanson, I sentence you to death.'

**Chapter 58**

Galbatorix stormed up the stairs towards the dragon hold, contained at the top of the second highest tower. There were many staircases, each set only going up one level at a time, and the next set were almost always at the other side of the wide tower. [i]Who designed this accursed tower?[/i] Galbatorix fumed. He resolved to do something about it, as he had on every previous expedition to the dragon hold. But he never carried out his threats to the castles architecture, mainly because he rarely had need to climb the tower.

Eventually, and after ten dozen stairs, he reached the hold. There were several large rooms, each with an gaping hole in one wall, allowing the dragon to reach the air outside. Only five of the dozen or so pens were filled. He walked past Shruiken's pen with barely a glance at the twisted beast within. He also walked past the four pens containing the brown dragons of his nameless slaves. He reached his targeted pen, the last one, containing the brilliant red dragon Thorn.

Galbatorix stared in. Thorn was pacing the pen. He poked his nose towards the open air through the gaping hole, but there was an invisible barrier which shocked him as he touched it. Galbatorix chuckled evilly as he saw the dragons pain. He opened the door, and walked in.

Thorn swung round, and looked towards Galbatorix, curiosity filling his eyes. Galbatorix felt Thorn touch his mind. Galbatorix allowed the connection, purely because he knew it was the only way he could speak to Thorn.

[i]'Why have you come? Where is Murtagh?'[/i] Thorn asked angrily;

'[i]Peace dragon. I have come to tell you what happened to Murtagh.'[/i]

[i]'Well, tell me!'[/i] Thorn demanded.

Galbatorix grew angry as Thorn spoke to him. But he halted the rage as he told himself that Thorn was his greatest tool, and he needed him to listen.

[i]'Patience. Murtagh was kidnapped from his cell by a mysterious group. I have learnt that it was the Varden who did this.'[/i]

Galbatorix felt happiness radiate from Thorn as he heard this, but Thorn quickly hid them from him.

[i]'Do not be so pleased dragon, you have not heard it all yet. I have learnt, in the last few minutes, in thanks to one of my spies, that the Varden plan to execute Murtagh very soon.'[/i]

Galbatorix stepped back in anticipation of Thorns rage. When it came, it was a terrible sight. Thorn whipped his tail around the pen, ripping large chunks of stone from the wall. He roared, a roar which echoed around and around the small chamber. Galbatorix was almost deafened by the onslaught.

He smiled as his said his well rehearsed final piece. [i]'The Varden are outside Dras' Leona. Go, you may reach them in time[/i]' He flicked his finger, and the invisible barrier shimmered into view, and vanished. Thorn ran through the gap, his tail enlarging it as he passed through and disappeared upwards.

Galbatorix went and peered through the damaged hole. He smiled again as he saw Thorn flying rapidly westwards, towards the place Murtagh faced his death. As he turned to leave, he heard Thorn speak, faintly in his mind.

[i]'Thank you, my king. I will return, return to serve you.[/i]

_________

The dreaded words echoed round Murtagh's ears. He couldn't quite believe what he heard. Nor, it seemed, could the leaders assembled around Nasuada, judging by the looks on their faces.

'Murtagh has been sentenced to death' Nasuada called to the amassed crowd a second time, just to make sure that they heard. 'Assemble the scaffold.' Upon hearing this, several dozen people rushed away, to ready the instrument of death. She looked down at the guards surrounding Murtagh. 'Guard him well. In one hour, all will be ready.'

[i]Two hours![/i] Murtagh thought, [i]As soon as that?[/i]

The guards escorted him to a tent on the outskirts of the camp. Waiting for him was a tray, covered in food and drink. Murtagh was thrown roughly in, and the flaps whistled shut behind him. He sat at the single chair, and reached for the tray. [i]Ah well, I might as well enjoy it. I will need my strength if I am too escape this fate.[/i] And he ate.

The food was not quite enough to fill him, nor was the drink enough to quench his raging thirst, but it would have to do. He got up, and went to the very edge of the tent. He tried to lift the fabric, but it was held in place with magic. He expected that though, and stepped back. He reached out to use magic, but it evaded him. Confused, he tried it again, and a third time. [i]NO! It can't be![/i] He racked his brains to find out when he had been slipped the drug. [i]The food? They wouldn't, would they?[/i] Just to be sure, he picked up the pitcher of water and sniffed it. Sure enough, there was the lingering smell of the drug which suppressed magic.

At that moment, a dwarf walked into the tent. Murtagh recognised him as Shrrgnein, from the spiked knuckles.

'Is it time?' Murtagh asked nervously.

'Not yet.' The dwarf said with an evil grin on his face. 'But King Orik wished me to avenge the death of our great king, who you slew in cold blood.'

Two more dwarves entered the tent. Quick as a flash they pinned Murtagh on his stomach, one sat on his neck with its feet on his arms, the other sat on his legs. Murtagh saw the dwarf walk behind him. He shook as he felt the steel spikes enter his back with great force.

He refrained from crying out as again and again the spikes tore into his already shredded back. After ten blows his shirt was tattered, after twenty, he lost all feeling in his back. But to his great relief, the pounding fists stopped after twenty-five blows.

His joy at the end of the torture quickly disappeared though, as the beat of fists was replaced with the grim beat of a drum. The dwarves sprang up, and pulled Murtagh to his feet. They escorted him out of the tent, and towards the centre of the camp. For the entire trip, Murtagh was surrounded by leering faces, and foul threats. All the while the drum beat its solemn chorus.

When they finally reached the centre of the camp, Murtagh saw the scaffold ahead. It was a simple affair, with steps leading up to a large platform. On either side was a tall upright beam, which met with a crossbeam at their top. In the centre of the crossbeam, and over the middle of the platform, was a sturdy rope, with a noose at one end. Murtagh trembled slightly as he saw it. He had spent enough time in Uru'Baen to know what happened next. He was forced to walk forwards alone.

By the time he had covered the short distance to the scaffold, a hooded executioner was stood next the noose. The crowd grew all the time. He climbed the five steps onto the platform. On the final step though, his torn back gave way, and he stumbled. He crowd jeered as he tried to get up. Murtagh gazed into the eyes of the executioner, hoping for some help up, but he was met with a cold, blank expression. He forced himself to stand. He hobbled forwards towards his doom, and stood under the noose.

The executioner stepped forwards, and hooked the rope around Murtaghs neck. He felt the man lean closer, and whisper in his ear, 'I normally quicken peoples demise, but not you. You, I want to see twitch.'

Murtagh took one final look around at the crowd who were jeering for his blood. He saw Nasuada among them, and stared deep into her eyes. Then all went black. He realised that the hood had been forced onto his head. He heard the crowd counting down.

'FIVE!'

[i]Why did it come to this?[/i]

'FOUR!'

[i]Why should it end here, now?[/i]

'THREE!'

He never wanted this to happen.

'TWO!'

[i]I'll miss you Thorn[/i] Murtagh thought.

'ONE!'

Murtagh braced himself for the drop, which would either snap his neck, if he was lucky, or gradually choke him if he was not.

'DROP!'

But it never came. In its place, he an earth shattering roar.

**Chapter 59**

Eragon and Arya flew towards the brown smudge which represented Dras' Leona. Even at that distance, they could see the spire of Helgrind, like a single finger, gesturing to the Gods. Far away, to the east of the city, Eragon thought he could see a shape in the sky.

'Look' he called across to Arya, 'Can you see that?'

'See what?' she asked.

'There's something in the sky, east of the city.'

Arya did not reply, but stared towards where Eragon pointed. 'I see it too' she said after a time. 'But we are too far away to see what it is.'

As if in response, Saphira and Kveykva sped up, they too desperate to find out what it was.

'Do you like it?' Eragon asked Arya.

'Like what?' she said suspiciously.

'This' Eragon said, waving his arm around in a circle. 'And that.' He pointed at Kveykva.

'Oh. Well, it is something I have dreamed of my entire life, and I still can't believe it is real. And flying, it felt great when I was on Saphira with you, but now, with Kveykva, it is the greatest thing ever.'

'I thought you would say that' Eragon said with a smile.

Before Arya could reply, Saphira's voice echoed round her and Eragon's head.

[i]'Look, that shape, it is heading for the city'[/i]

[i]'I wonder what it could be?'[/i]

_____________

'DROP!' Murtagh heard the crowd shout, the bloodlust evident in their voice.

But the drop never came. Murtagh heard a loud roar. [i]'Thorn?'[/i] he asked himself.

[i]'MURTAGH!!'[/i] he heard Thorn cry.

Before Murtagh could say anything, he felt the executioner grab him by the back of his shirt.

'This is your doing.' He hissed in through the bag into Murtagh's ear. 'But you won't get away with it, not while I'm here.'

'Screw you' Murtagh spat.

Then he fell.

'[i]NOOO![/i] Murtagh heard Thorn shout as the rope broke his fall.

'[i]Thorn, don't mourn for me'[/i] he said weakly as he felt his life slipping away.

He heard the rush of air as Thorn dived towards the gallows. Just as he thought that all was lost, heard something swish through the rope, and he fell to the floor. Acting on instinct, he reached up, and removed the rope. Before it had even hit the floor, he had removed the bag from his head.

Murtagh looked around and saw that he was in the centre of a nest of beams which supported the gallows. He looked up, and blinked as the sudden light entered his eyes. He also saw a scaly red tail hanging down through the hole he had just dropped. He gratefully grabbed it, and pulled himself up.

Sat on the gallows platform was Thorn. Murtagh grabbed his front leg, and pressed himself into Thorn.

[i]'I thought I had lost you.'[/i] he said bluntly.

'[i]I would never allow that to happen'[/i] Thorn replied.

Murtagh turned his head, and gazed at the crowd which had so recently been calling for his blood. They were now drawing swords and stringing bows as they closed in on the stranded platform.

'[i]Thorn[i]' Murtagh said hurriedly, '[i]I can't use magic, I have no wards. Those arrows will rip me apart, especially since I am weakened from their torture.[/i]'

[i]'Don't worry, I can protect you, I feel the magic building up inside me. Murtagh, in my saddlebag, Zar'roc is there. Galbatorix put it in before he sent me.[/i]

[i]'Galbatorix sent y...[/i]' Murtagh started to say, but could not finish, as at that moment, Thorn released the magic. Murtagh climbed onto his saddle, drawing his sword from the saddlebag as he did so. He looked up to see what the magic had done.

Almost all of the crowd which had been closing in on him rapidly were on the floor. The blast of magic had knocked them all off their feet. Thorn leapt from the platform as it trembled and crashed to the ground. Murtagh glanced back, and saw that the executioner was impaled on a spike of wood, his head hanging grotesquely to one side. The hood had fallen off, allowing Murtagh to look into the face of his would be killer. He had one eye, and was missing most of his teeth.

Murtagh could not allow himself longer to stare at the dead executioner, as Thorn had landed in the midst of the crowd who were struggling to stand. He swung his tail, knocking dozens of men and women flying. Murtagh looked around, and saw someone running at him with a drawn sword. Murtagh casually swung Zar'roc, decapitating the man.

Thorn let loose a great stream of fire, badly burning many dozens of the Varden. Using claws, teeth and tail, Thorn reduced the crowd to less than twenty people. The other had either been killed, or fled. Thorn turned and hissed at the remaining group, who were slowly retreating. He jumped over them, and swung his tail. The spikes caught several of the group.

__________

As soon as Thorn had landed on the gallows, Nasuada had drawn her sword. The Nighthawks gathered around her, forming an almost impenetrable barrier. Through the gaps between the Nighthawks heads, she saw Murtagh climbing out of the central hole, and hug Thorn. Seconds later, she was knocked to the ground.

She tried weekly to stand, and saw that all round her the Nighthawks were dead of unconscious. The barrier was their undoing, as they hit their heads on armour or weapons. The rest of the assembled Varden were also struggling to stand.

She saw Thorn land in their midst, crushing many. She watched in horror as the mighty beast killed or wounded most of the gathered crowd. And then she found herself in a group of about twenty others, the only people still standing anywhere near the gallows.

Nasuada started to back away from Thorn, which was easy for her, as she was at the back of the group. Suddenly, she felt the ground tremble as Thorn jumped and landed behind her. She tried to turn, but before she was even halfway around, Thorns tail had hit her.

She felt herself being lifted off the ground, so great was the force of Thorn's tail hitting her. She was flung several metres when the tail reached its peak. Within a second, she had hit the ground. She weakly lifted her head, and saw that her chest was covered in blood. She tried to call out, but her voice had failed her.

Nasuada's head slumped back to the floor as her life slipped away.

**Chapter 60**

Eragon and Arya kept flying closer to the city. Eragon made sure he knew exactly where the shape was as they got nearer. Suddenly, it seemed to fall from the sky.

'Did you see that?' Eragon called to Arya. 'It just disappeared, when it was near the city.'

'Yes, I saw. What could it be doing?'

'I don't know, but I want to find out!'

[i]'Well come on then'[/i] Saphira said to Eragon and Arya.

And so they flew. Just as they were nearing the city, the shape appeared again. Luckily this time they were close enough to see what it was. Eragon froze, shocked by what he saw. Saphira turned, and headed for Kveykva, who, due to her size, was now about a mile behind them.

'Arya!' Eragon called when they were close enough to hear each other. 'I saw it again. It was Thorn, but I couldn't see if Murtagh was with him.'

'I know, I saw. I wonder what he was doing there.'

Eragon did not reply, but gazed towards the Vardens camp, which was now visible. Within minutes, Saphira and Kveykva were descending towards the centre of the camp. Saphira and Kveykva almost stopped flapping their wings as they gazed on the devastation below them. Many dozens of the Varden were lying dead, around a crushed wooded structure.

'What happen?' Arya asked, almost to herself.

'I don't know,' Eragon replied, 'But I think Thorn had something to do with it.'

'[i]Well, that settles it'[/i] Saphira said. She hovered in mid air.

'[i]Settles what?'[/i] Eragon asked her.

'I[i] am going after Thorn, to find out, and [/i] you [i] are coming with me[/i]'

Eragon quickly told Arya what Saphira had said. 'So you see what happened down there, and we will chase Thorn.'

'Alright, but be careful.' Arya said.

Then, Saphira went up, trying to gain enough height to see where Thorn went, whilst Kveykva continued to dive, heading towards the destruction below.

_______

[i]I'll never get used to this[/i] Arya thought as Kveykva headed straight for the ground. She was clinging on for dear life as the rush of wind threatened to pull her from the saddle. [i]No matter what Eragon says.[/i]

[i] 'But it's fun[/i]' Kveykva suddenly said, having been listening to Arya's thoughts.

'[i]Or that.'[/i] Arya said teasingly.

Before she could continued, Kveykva pulled out of the dive, metres from the floor, her powerful wings spreading and halting the fall. Arya fell forwards with a jolt. She grabbed the spike in front of her just in time to stop it impaling her.

Kveykva landed surprisingly softly for something so big, and Arya jumped off.

'[i]You stay here, but keep an eye out, I don't know what there might be'[/i]

[i] 'Alright, as long as you are careful'[/i] Kveykva replied.

Arya slowly set off towards the flattened tents and crushed bodies. She froze as she realised that there was not a sound to be heard, not from the city, the camps around it, or even the birds. The only noise came from her own measured breaths. Nervously she continued.

As she passed through the destroyed tents, she looked around. Poking through the destroyed canvas of some tents were limbs. An arm here, a footless leg there, and even a legless foot in one. She shuddered as she wondered what could have happen to have caused this devastation. And then she reached the centre of the camp, with the mound of wood in the middle.

In a large circle all around the clearing, were mutilated bodies. Men, women, children, Dwarves, Kull. All species were represented in the carnage, except the elves, who were still in their own camp on the other side of the city. [i]Why didn't they realise what was happening?[/i] Arya thought to herself. Some of the dead were geared for battle, with their swords drawn, whilst others looked as though they had only just woken up.

After walking numbly through the field of death, Arya came across a group of about twenty bodies, separated from the rest. Unlike the others, they were all heavily armed. They looked as though they had fallen in a group, around someone. Arya walked closer to find out who. Then she gasped, lying in a vast pool of blood was Nasuada.

Arya ran over and dropped to her knees next to the leader of the Varden. To her great surprise, Nasuada was still breathing faintly. Arya spoke to her.

'Lady Nasuada, what happened?'

'Arya...Is that you? Come closer' Nasuada said weakly, her voice strained and faint.

'Yes. What happened here?'

'There isn't time for that now. There is one final thing I must do.' Nasuada's eyes fluttered, and her head slumped slightly. 'Tell...tell Eragon, that he must lead...' She stopped speaking, and eyes closed for the final time.

**Chapter 61**

Galbatorix was sat on his dark throne, gazing through the large window of the room. He saw on the horizon three shapes. [i]Who have they found?[/i] he wondered. He waited for a few minutes, until the shapes were nearer. He rose and headed for the staircase leading to the tower roof.

He slowly climbed the stairs, and emerged on the same roof he had sent Murtagh from several weeks previously. As the shapes drew closer, he saw that he was right in that two of them were his muddy brown slaves, whilst the third was a green dragon he didn't recognise. [i]Where did that one come from?[/i] he wondered.

Sudden realisation dawned on him. [i]Could that be the one which Murtagh stole?[/i] His thoughts turned to his foremost slave. [i]Thorn should be there by now, but was he in time?[/i] He silently paced the tower roof whilst waiting for them.

After several minutes, they were much closer, but still several miles away. To stave off boredom, Galbatorix walked to the edge of the tower. He gazed down upon the small army of slaves toiling in the courtyard far below. He muttered a few words in the ancient language, and the slave he had chosen rose into the air. He chuckled as the man's cries slowly filtered up to his lofty vantage point. He heard shouting, and saw that the other slaves had stopped work, and were pointing at the man who was rapidly rising higher and higher. When he was at Galbatorix's eye level, he drew the slave in, and said 'Hello' cheerfully.

Before the man could reply, Galbatorix flicked his finger again, and the man flew rapidly towards the opposite tower, which had a sloped roof. Galbatorix laughed as the slave landed on the pinnacle of the roof. He released the magic and watched with morbid joy as the slave slid down the roof, struggling to grab onto the slippery tiles. Somehow, the slave was able to grab onto the lead gutter of the roof. He hung there for several seconds, then Galbatorix laughed as he saw the lead buckle and twist, turning instantly from a life saving handhold, to a slippery ride to the void. The man could not hold onto the bent lead. He slipped and fell. Galbatorix saw the slaves below scatter to avoid the falling body. But one was not fast enough. The slave who fell landed on top of the other slave. They both died instantly. The first slave from a mangled spine and a broken neck, and the other from a broken neck due to the falling man hitting him.

Galbatorix was still laughing cruelly as he looked up. His pleasant diversion had occupied him for so long that the three dragons were now only a minute or two away from landing. They must have seen Galbatorix's figure on the tower roof, as the two brown dragons angled themselves towards him, herding the green dragon between them.

They quickly landed. The lead Rider climbed off his nameless dragon and approached Galbatorix.

'My king, we found these three whilst we were patrolling the skies.'

'Three?' Galbatorix asked. 'I can only see two, the dragon and its Rider.'

The nameless man chuckled, and motioned to the other Rider. He forced the green Rider off her dragon, and Galbatorix saw another behind. This second person was also forced off and made to kneel before him.

The lead Rider joined his companion in holding a sword to the neck of a prisoner. Galbatorix took a moment to look at who had been captured. He was surprised to see that both were elves. One was male and the other female. Galbatorix was surprised to that the female elf was the dragons Rider. His eyes lingered on the other elf. He was unlike any elf Galbatorix had ever seen, which, although he was never taken to the Elven homeland, was not an inconsiderable number as many had lived with the Riders before the Fall. The elf was covered in a strange blue fur, and had a feral look about him.

'What are your names?' He asked in the ancient language.

Not surprisingly, neither of them replied.

'What happened to your famed politeness? It seems that elves have lost this over the last hundred years. The last one I killed was full of anger. And anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to the dark side.' He laughed cruelly. 'Still no reply? Well, we will have to do something about that.'

Wordlessly Galbatorix launched a powerful assault on the females mind. He was surprised by the strength of her mental barrier. He supposed that the dragon was helping her. Undeterred he reached towards the vast store of Eldunari contained deep within the castle. With this extra strength he was able to overwhelm her mind.

**Chapter 62**

Eragon and Saphira flew in the direction they had seen Thorn go. Although Thorn had a goodly lead on them, Saphira's size allowed them to draw nearer all the time. Although Thorn was nearly as old physically as Saphira, he was mentally only a few months old. Therefore he did not, could not, understand what he could do, and how fast he could travel as well as Saphira did.

Before long, Dras' Leona had all but disappeared on the horizon. Thorn was still ahead, but Saphira had closed his lead to only a few miles. Suddenly, Thorn turned and headed towards them. In reply, Saphira sped up. If it was going to come to a fight, she did not want him having the advantage of speed.

[i] 'What do you think he is doing?'[/i] Eragon asked Saphira.

'[i]I don't know, but we will find out soon enough.'[/i]

Eragon drew his sword apprehensively. When the two dragons met, they were over a strange river which neither Eragon nor Saphira had seen before on any map. Somehow it ran in a perfectly straight line from east to west. Eragon ignored it, and concentrated on Thorn who was now within range of an arrow.

Eragon saw Murtagh lying across Thorns saddle. Slowly Murtagh drew himself upright, and called over to Eragon, who was now only a few metres away.

'Hello [i]brother[/i]' he said, his voice heavy with scorn.

'Murtagh? What happened to you?' Eragon asked. He wondered how Murtagh had become so badly injured, as he saw a flash of his torn back as they circled.

'You mean this?' Murtagh laughed cruelly. '[i]This[/i] was the work of your beloved Dwarves and precious Varden, [i]brother[/i].' He said sarcastically.

'What? What happened'

'Oh nothing, except they tried to hang me. For being forced to kill Arya and Oromis.'

'[i]Eragon, be careful what you say. He still thinks that Arya is dead. We have an advantage now. Oh, and hurry up, I see another dragon approaching from the east.'[/i] Saphira said unexpectedly.

Eragon shot a quick look in that direction. Saphira was right, in the distance another dragon was heading their way.

'Murtagh, they are angry at you, as well they should be, but I know you had no choice in the matter. I can help you truly break you oaths to Galbatorix.'

'What? You are so naive as to think I was forced to do these things? Ha, you really are pathetic. I serve Galbatorix out of choice. Our father would be disappointed with you.' Murtagh laughed cruelly again.

No it was Eragon's turn to mock his once friend. 'So no-one's told you yet?'

'Huh, told me what?' A questioning look appeared in Murtaghs eyes.

'[i]Eragon,[/i]' Saphira said warningly, '[i]That dragon is getting closer and closer all the time you spend squabbling like this.'[/i]

'[i]Alright, calm down. We won't need to stay much longer'[/i]

Then, to Murtagh, he said in the ancient language 'Morzan was not my father'.

A look of horror passed over Murtaghs face. 'No, it can't be. Galbatorix told me it was so.' He muttered.

'[i]ERAGON! LOOK OUT'[/i] Saphira cried suddenly.

'[i]Huh, what? That dragon is still miles away, we have plenty of time'[/i]

'[i]No, above you!'[/i] Saphira said in exasperation.

She darted to one side as a muddy brown dragon dived straight through the space she had filled moments before. Even so, the tip of the Riders sword caught her he on the tail, although it merely bounced off her wards.

Eragon cursed, and muttered 'Brisingr.' Once more his sword burst into flames. The brown dragon was now hovering next to Thorn. Both Riders had their swords drawn, and a murderous glint in their eyes. Eragon couldn't defend against both of them, so Saphira flew straight upwards, intending to dive onto them.

But every time she gained any height, the other two dragons were alongside her in an instant, trapping her between them.

'Brother or not, I was always stronger than you' Murtagh called out to Eragon.

In reply, he slashed straight at Murtaghs neck. Murtagh did not move, but watched as the flaming sword hit one of his wards. Before Eragon could attack again, he was forced to block a slash from the other Rider.

'[i]Saphira, we need a way out, I can't fight both of them[/i]'

Saphira did not reply, but instead she tried flying upwards once more. To her, and Eragon's, surprise, the other two dragons did not follow straight away. Instead they backed off slightly before gaining altitude.

They hovered for a second whilst the other two dragons prepared to attack. Suddenly, they both flew forwards at once. Their Riders were leaning towards each other, their swords outstretched. Too late, Eragon realised what they intended to do. But they were already upon him. As one, they slashed, and their swords cut through the straps holding him in place. Saphira tried to fly away to allow Eragon to mend the straps, or somehow secure himself in place, but she was not fast enough. Thorn crashed into her side, knocking Eragon out of the saddle. The last thing he heard before the rush of air was Murtagh's cruel laughter ringing clearly through the sky.

As he fell, he saw that Thorn had grabbed onto Saphira, stopping her from coming to Eragon's aid. All of a sudden, Thorn was blasted away, and he saw Saphira dive towards him. But even she wasn't fast enough. He tried to slow his fall with magic, but he realised that he was so high that he would die long before he hit the ground.

A huge shape appeared above him, blocking out both Saphira and the sun. He eyes could not adjust quickly enough to the sudden darkness for him to see what it was. Just as soon as it appeared, so it disappeared. Eragon continued to fall, but after a few more seconds, the fall was broken by something. He looked around, and saw that he was on a dragon's back. Realisation dawned on him.

A huge head turned to look at him, and a voice said, '[i]Eragon, the Vault of Souls awaits.'[/i]

Kuthian had returned.

**Chapter 63**

Murtagh and the nameless Rider exchanged looks which were a mix of shock and awe as the giant white beast snatched Eragon out of the sky. It appeared that Saphira shared the same shock, as she stopped her dive, and hovered where she was. Murtagh was the first to regain his wits.

'Quick!' he called to the other Rider, 'Get her! Galbatorix will be pleased if we get her.'

The nameless Rider nodded, and both dragons dived towards the brilliant blue dragon. Murtagh uttered a phrase in the ancient language to hold Saphira in place. He had discovered he was able to use magic just before Eragon attacked him, and was able to quickly put up powerful wards around himself.

He felt Saphira resisting him. He drew strength from the Eldunari which were still within Thorn's saddlebags. The larger brown dragon reached Saphira first. It grabbed Saphira's tail in his mouth, and her back legs with his front legs. Thorn did much the same, but grabbing one of her wings with his mouth and legs, ready to severely damage it if she tried to escape. Murtagh released the magic slightly, allowing Saphira some movement of her wings. They flew east.

________

Arya ran back towards Kveykva. She passed through the carnage which was all that remained of much of the Vardens camp. When she reached her dragon, she saw a large group of people near Kveykva. One of the group stepped forward. Arya recognised him as Jormunder, one of the Vardens council of elders.

'Greetings Arya Svit-Kona. Have you heard anything of Lady Nasuada?'

Jormunder surprised Arya with his knowledge of Elven customs. 'Yes' She bowed her head slightly, and a look of sadness fill her face. 'She is dead.'

Jormunder staggered backwards as he heard the news. 'D...dead?'

Arya nodded grimly.

'Did she say anything, before she...'

'Yes, but she could not finish it. She asked for Eragon to lead. I suppose she meant the Varden, but she could not finish.'

'Of course. As you can see, this is most of what remains of the Varden. We are leaderless, at least for now, and we have lost much of our strength. What would you have us do?'

Arya was surprised by the request. 'Um, you bury your dead, and then head to my peoples camp, and ask Queen Islanzadi. Those are your only options, as far as I can tell.'

'Thank you Arya Svit-Kona.' Jormunder turned, and returned to the cluster which was all that remained.

Arya noted that there were about one thousand people in the group, although less than half appeared to be prepared for combat. She turned and climbed onto Kveykva's back.

'[i]I'm glad that is over. Now let's find Eragon. He needs to know.[/i]'

'[i]Of course. Whilst you were gone, I was in contact with Saphira.[/i]'

A mental image flashed through Arya's mind. '[i]That is where she was when I last spoke.[/i]'

Arya saw that Saphira appeared to be hovering over a curiously straight river. '[i]What are we waiting for?'[/i]

___________

Galbatorix quickly broke through the females mental barriers. [i]So she is called Evarinya.[/i] Galbatorix explored her mind further, not caring how much pain he caused her. To his great surprise, he could not find much more than her name, and that of her dragon, Sverdar.

He soon realised that it was because most of her mind was hidden behind a barrier stronger than anything he could produce, even with the aid of the Eldunari. Exasperatingly, he reached out with his mind, and touched the vast store contained deep within the castles vault.

When he touched them, he drew as much strength as he felt he could hold, and once more attacked her mind. To his amazement he could not break them. The strength he had drawn was quickly exhausted. He once more reached for the Eldunari, but froze with shock as he found that there was not much strength left within them. [i]How could this have happened??[/i]

Both shocked and annoyed, he withdrew from Evarinya's mind.

'Search them for concealed weapons, then drug them and put them in the dungeon. I will attend to them later.' He said to the two Riders who had captured the elves.

'What of her dragon?' the lead Rider asked.

'Put it in the [i]special[/i] dragon hold.' By that he meant the one which had a barrier which allowed things in, but not out again.

The Rider nodded. 'It shall be done.' He grabbed Evarinya, and the other Rider grabbed the strange elf. Their dragons took off with Sverdar penned between them.

**Chapter 64**

Sverdar was struggling as he flew. The added weight of Blodhgarm, coupled with the exertion of the previous few days meant that he wobbled in the air, first up, first down. The one thing which was consistent about it was that they headed in a straight line.

Evarinya noticed that Blodhgarm seemed particularly nervous, and kept clutching at a bag on his lap.

'What is it in that bag which is so special?' She asked apprehensively.

Blodhgarm appeared nervous. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Evarinya thought that he had tried to lie, but when he finally spoke, the truth was somewhat different.

'I am sorry, my oath to Arya forbids me to speak of it, in any language, until such time as she sees fit. But I can say that it is an object, or objects of tremendous power. Now please do not speak to me of it again, for you know I cannot reply.'

'Of course Blodhgarm-elda.' Evarinya replied, bowing her head slightly.

'[i]I wonder what it could be?'[/i] she asked Sverdar.

'[i]I wish to know, but my wisdom tells me you will find out in time.'[/i]

Before he could say more, he unexpectedly darted to one side.

'[i]What was that...'[/i] Evarinya started to ask, but before she could finish, she saw what caused her dragon to move so quickly.

Just below her was a muddy brown dragon. She tried to get a look at the Rider's face, but could not, because Sverdar he darted back in the other direction. This time Evarinya was ready. To her left, she saw a dark brown streak dart past her. The streak stopped several dozen feet below, on the same level as the other dragon.

She heard a loud bang behind her. She turned round sharply, and saw that Blodhgarm was slumped on the saddle. The bag was gone. She shook him slightly, and he stirred. Evarinya breathed a sigh of relief, he was not dead.

'Where did you send it?' she whispered quickly.

'Du Fells Nangoroth.' Blodhgarm said, then he collapsed in the saddle.

'[i]What should we do?'[/i] Evarinya asked Sverdar.

'[i]I will try and escape them, but those dragons are larger, older and they carry fewer. They have the advantage of speed, but from what Arya told us, they probably have little knowledge of Alagaesia, having been gone for a hundred years.'[/i]

'[i]Alright. Do what you can.'[/i]

Sverdar did not reply, but sped up. Evarinya looked back and saw the brown dragons catching up. Before long and after many miles, the brown dragons were almost upon them.

'[i]I'm sorry Evarinya. I have done all I can.[/i]' Sverdar said apologetically

'[i]I know.'[/i] Evarinya replied. She drew Tamerlein grimly.

The brown dragons were on them almost immediately. One of them called out.

'Put down your weapon.'

'I would rather die' Evarinya snarled. [i]This feels good! I wish elves would show more emotion.[/i]

'We do not want to kill you, but take you to our King. He will treat you well.' The Rider exchanged looks with his companion and they both chuckled evilly.

Evarinya realised what they meant. 'You will never take me alive.'

'Very well.' The lead Rider called.

His dragon flew towards Evarinya, and she brought her sword up to meet him. They exchanged blows whenever they were close enough. The rest of the time their dragons clawed and bit at each other.

Throughout the fight, she did not pay any attention to the fact that her wards were being depleted. After all, it was only to be expected in a fight. What she did not realise was that the wards which protected her from magical attacks were also being slowly destroyed. Nor was she paying any attention to the other Rider.

He muttered [i]slytha[/i], and Evarinya collapsed in the saddle.

Evarinya was vaguely aware of Sverdar landing and being pulled from her saddle. She awoke when she hit the floor. She opened her eyes groggily and saw a short man with black hair a small black moustache just under his nose, and a pointed goatee staring down at her. She noticed that he had oddly large ears and a large red nose.

'What is your name?' she heard him ask.

She didn't reply, as she knew was right. The short man spoke again, but she couldn't concentrate. It was as though she had been hit round the head, which, in a way, she had been.

But she had recovered enough to remember to raise her mental shields as he spoke. She was just in time as he launched a powerful assault on her mind. Her walls were strong, but even with Sverdar's aid, she could do nothing to halt him. She withdrew herself and all her memories into a tiny corner of her mind, and focused all her and Sverdar's strength on its defence. All she allowed the short man was her name.

After a few seconds, she knew he had found her. She braced herself for the onslaught, but when it came, it was like a storm tide hitting a cliff. Seemingly mighty, but unable to do more than make a noise. She felt the man leave her mind, and speak again.

'Search them, and take them to the dungeons.'

She felt her hair being pulled as she was forced to her feet, and pushed towards the stairs.

**Chapter 65**

Eragon twisted around on Kuthian's back, expecting to see Saphira flying towards him, but what he saw was quite different. Saphira appeared to be in the grasp of Thorn and the nameless dragon.

'[i]Kuthian![/i]' Eragon called with his mind, '[i]They have Saphira, we need to rescue her.[/i]'

Kuthian didn't answer him, but turned round as fast as his bulk would allow him. Although the other dragons had gained a significant lead on Kuthian and Eragon, they were slowed by Saphira. Kuthian's powerful wings allowed him to catch up to Murtagh and his nameless companion.

Before long Kuthian and Eragon high above the other dragons. They didn't seem to have noticed Kuthian.

'[i]Hold on Eragon[/i]' Kuthian said.

Eragon grabbed at the nearest spike and wrapped his arms around it. It was like hugging a tree, so large were Kuthian's spikes. Eragon had reacted just in time. As his arms gripped the spike, Kuthian dived at the fleeing dragons.

Eragon could see the look of shock in the eyes of Murtagh and his nameless companion. On instinct, Thorn and the brown dragon released Saphira. The instant they let go, Saphira flew away from them, and went in a large circle to get to Eragon and Kuthian. She landed on Kuthian's back.

Murtagh and Thorn hung back in shock and awe at seeing Kuthian in all his might for the first time. The other Rider was not so timid. He had spent the best part of one hundred years with Kuthian, and was not impressed. However, he seemed to realise that he had no chance against Kuthian on his own, so he waited for Murtagh and Thorn to move.

Eragon waited for Kuthian to stay relatively still in the air before he let go of Kuthian's spike. He ran over to Saphira, pulled himself onto her back and strapped himself into the saddle. He wasn't taking any chances.

Kuthian roared a challenge, deafening everyone, and making the ground below shake. He flew towards the pair of dragons. The brown dragon answered with a roar of his own, though it seemed feeble after Kuthian's bellow. Murtagh and the other Rider drew their swords, not that they would be much use against Kuthian's might.

The two dragons flew towards Kuthian. Thorn darted to the left, and the brown dragon to the right. Kuthian snapped harmlessly at the air as they passed. Saphira took off his back. Eragon was glad he had been able to keep a hold on Brisingr as he fell, not minutes before.

Thorn and the brown dragon continued to circle around Kuthian, occasionally darting towards him when his attention was on the other. Saphira flew at Thorn, claws outstretched. They crashed into each other, whilst the brown dragon continued to attack Kuthian.

Neither Eragon nor Murtagh had any wards remaining, as they had all been exhausted in their previous fight. Eragon and Murtagh traded blows whilst their dragon fought with tooth and claw below them. Suddenly an un-earthly howl split the air. It was a mix of animalistic rage and pain. Eragon and Murtagh looked round.

Kuthian had caught the brown dragon by his neck. The force of Kuthian's bite had obviously broken it, as the dragons body was swinging freely below. It was the Rider who had screamed as part of his soul was ripped away from him. In a blind rage the Rider swung his sword madly from side to side, not caring if it made contact with anything, but simply trying to wound Kuthian.

Some of the strokes did make contact with the mighty white beast, his nose criss-crossed with dozens of small scratches, dying his scales red. But what the Rider didn't notice in his rage was that his strokes had slashed the straps holding him in his saddle. With a final mad blow aimed at Kuthian he cut the final strap. Kuthian appeared to laugh as he shook the dead dragon slightly, causing the Rider to fall from the saddle towards the ground far below. Kuthian spat out the body of the brown dragon which followed its screaming Rider to the cold hard ground.

Eragon turned away before the body's hit the ground. He saw that Murtagh was watching their path towards the inevitable with a horrified look on his face. Zar'roc was held loosely by his side. Eragon took advantages of the situation and swiped Brisingr at the red sword. He knocked it out of Murtaghs hand and sent it tumbling towards the ground. Murtagh suddenly realised what was happening, and snapped his head up to stare briefly at Eragon, before watching his red blade twirl through the air, glinting in the sunlight.

**Chapter 66**

Murtagh looked on in horror as Zar'roc fell towards the ground. It was so finely balanced that it landed point first, in the eye of the brown dragon. It stood there, quivering, like a grim Sword in the Stone.

Murtagh brought his eyes up to look at Eragon. The was a cold look in his eyes, the look of a killer. He looked on defenceless as Eragon brought his flaming blade to Murtagh's chin. The heat of the fire signed the stubble on his chin.

'You aren't a killer Eragon, you don't need to do this.' Murtagh said quietly, trying anything to prolong his existence.

Murtagh shifted his eyes to look down at his hand. Wrapped between his fingers and through a ring was a single flame red hair. It was worth a try. In his head he was planning a long and complex spell, which he planned to perform wordlessly.

'[i]Murtagh, are you sure you should do this? You know the dangers involved when you attempt magic without speaking.[/i]' Thorns voice resounded through his mind.

'[i]Anything, anything at all is better than death. I have to try it. If anything goes wrong know this, the gem which is hidden with your Eldunari contains a part of my being. When the time is right, you can use it to restore my body and mind. But now I need to concentrate.'[/i]

Thorn said nothing, but withdrew completely from Murtaghs head. For the first time in months, he was alone in his mind.

'I [i]trusted[/i] you. When we were on that long trip from Gil'ead to the Varden. When you disappeared, I was devastated. I felt like I had lost a brother. But now it has come to this. When we first met, you saved my life, now yours is mine to take.'

_____

As Eragon said the words, he pushed Brisingr slowly forwards until the tip pricked Murtaghs neck. A drop of glistening blood ran down the centre of the blue sword. Eragon smiled.

'This ends now.' He snarled.

But as he said those words, he saw a change in Murtagh. His hair was slowly changing colour, from brown to red. The wounds on his ragged back were healing, even the long, thick scar which divided his back in two was disappearing, to be replaced with a new layer of fresh skin. Even his face was changing, it was getting paler and paler every second.

Eragon watched in horror as Murtagh raised his bowed head to look into Eragon's eyes. He froze in horror. He recognised those maroon eyes, cruel and staring.

'Hello [i]Shadeslayer[/i].' He said, his voice dripping with evil. But it wasn't even his voice coming from his mouth.

'[i]I recognise that voice[/i]' Saphira said suddenly.

'We're back!' Murtagh said tauntingly.

'[i]It can't be...[/i]' Eragon said to Saphira.

Murtagh seemed to know what was being said.

'But it is. Here's Huron!'

Eragon thrust Brisingr at the shades neck, but close as the blade was, and fast as Eragon was, Huron was quicker. The shade raised its hand and grabbed the blade. It didn't seem to notice the flames burning Murtaghs hand. With a single push Brisingr's path was diverted, cutting a deep channel across Murtaghs neck. There was a fountain of blood as an artery was severed, but it quickly healed.

Eragon tightened his grip on Brisingr as the shade pushed it away.

'[i]How can this have happened?'[/i] He asked Saphira.

'[i]I don't know, but Kuthian probably will.'[/i]

Eragon turned his head and saw that Kuthian was slowly flying towards them. The shade cackled, its red hair flapping in the wind. Saphira pushed away from Thorn, trying to gain Eragon some time.

'Cowards' the shade hissed at them. 'Come and fight me.' Thorn followed Saphira as she flew.

'[i]How can Thorn consent to having that[/i] monster [i] on his saddle?'[/i]

Saphira did not respond, but turned and flew towards Kuthian.

______  
Evarinya had a bag thrust onto her head as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She stumbled in darkness, down long corridors and flights of stairs. Gradually the air became damper, and she heard drips falling from the ceiling, mingled in with the screams of tortured souls.

She found herself being pushed into a small room. The bag wasn't taken off her head and some liquid was forced down her throat. The door slammed shut.

**Chapter 67**

As Saphira neared Kuthian, Eragon turned to look at the twisted being on the red dragon behind. Thorn was following them, but what was more shocking was that he didn't seem to mind carrying a shade instead of his Rider. [i]But I suppose it is his Rider, just not as anyone knows him.[/i] Eragon thought to himself.

'[i]Eragon, Saphira, what is that[/i] thing [i]following you?[/i]' Kuthian's voice reverberated through Eragon and Saphira's minds.

'[i]It is[i]' Eragon corrected himself, '[i]was Murtagh, but he did something to merge his being with a shade.[/i]'

Kuthian seemed to be left speechless by this, as all Eragon could hear was silence. Saphira broke it.

'[i]Kuthian-elda, we hoped that you would be able to explain to us how this was possible...[/i]'

Whilst Saphira was saying this, she had drawn level with Kuthian, and was now flying alongside him, dwarfed by his bulk, towards Thorn and his ethereal companion.

'[i]I...I do know how he did it, but I will not say. Such things are best forgotten.[/i]'

Before he could help himself, Eragon blurted out '[i]But how do you know Kuthian-elda?[/i]'

Kuthian sighed, a long sigh which echoed round Eragon's head. Eventually he spoke. '[i]I suppose Gleadr told you that I am truly ancient. I was old when the Riders were created, old when DU Fyrn Skulblaka started, old even when Elves first arrived in Alagaesia. Their predecessors if you like, were the Grey Folk, who bound magic to the Ancient Language. I cannot tell you more now, look![/i]'

Kuthian suddenly stopped speaking, and Eragon saw why. Thorn and Muron, as Eragon affectionately dubbed his former friend, were almost upon them.

'[i]Eragon[/i]' Kuthian said suddenly, '[i]I will distract it, and remember, Murtagh is still in there, somewhere. You have to kill it twice[/i]'

With that, Kuthian left Eragon's mind, and flew to the left of the foul pair.

_____

Thorn instinctively attacked the giant elder dragon, enlarging the cuts on his nose. Murtagh was vaguely aware of his arms and sword were moved by the shade who controlled him. He saw his arm rise and fall, slashing at the mighty beast before him. Seeing his actions controlled by another reminded him of when Galbatorix had taken over his mind and body to slay Oromis and Gleadr.

'[i]Silenceee[/i]' the shade hissed at Murtagh.

As soon as the shade entered him, it squashed Thorn and Murtagh into opposite corners of Murtaghs mind. Murtagh could still talk to Thorn, but it was like speaking to someone across a vast chasm, their voices faint in comparison to the Shades presence.

'[i]Hey, it's still my body[/i]' Murtagh replied crossly.

As soon as he said it Murtagh wished he hadn't. The shade hissed in pure unadulterated rage. Murtagh felt his mind being crushed more and more, until he occupied only a tiny fraction of his own mind. He could still see, but he could not feel anything.

He tried to resist the shades smothering presence, but he quickly realised it was futile. The shade was just too strong. He resigned himself to watching.

For some reason, the huge dragon did not seem to fight back as the shade and Thorn attacked it. [i]Why is he just letting himself be attacked?[/i] Murtagh wondered. Suddenly, realisation dawned on him. [i]Where's Eragon?[/i] Murtagh tried to look round, but remembered that he no longer controlled his body. Instead, he impressed upon the shades mind his warning.

It seemed like the shade would not listen to him as at first it did not turn, but then, after Murtagh had repeated himself several times, it did. Murtagh instantly realised that he was right. Saphira was darting towards them. Eragon was leaning forward, Brisingr was burning at the end of his outstretched arm. The shade tried to bring up the sword it found in Thorns saddle bag, but it was too late. The sword pierced through the shades heart.

__________

The instant Eragon felt the blade go in he knew he had succeeded. Before his eyes, Murtagh was rapidly returning to his original self.

_________

As the blade pierced his body, Murtagh felt the shades presence diminishing in his mind. He moved his head, flexed his arm and clenched his fist. His body was his once more. But it was not to last.

He heard Eragon snarl 'This ends now.'

He saw the flaming blade rising. He saw it falling. He felt the heat of the flames and the bite of the steel.

_________

Eragon put all his strength into a single downwards slash. The blade fell straight and true. Rhunon's work was not in vain. The blade was razor sharp. The end came quick.

In the same instant the Eragon slashed, Kuthian darted at a distracted Thorn. He opened his mouth and closed it around the red dragons neck, biting with all his tremendous strength.

Two bodies. Two heads. Falling in tandem towards the ground. At the end, Murtagh had not quite become himself again. Half red, half brown, his hair fluttered behind him as it fell.

__________

On a forgotten mountain, in a deep cave, on a hidden ledge, two gems sat side by side. Forever free.

**Chapter 68**

Eragon watched the two heads falling with a grim satisfaction. [i]That leaves Galbatorix and three more Riders[/i] he thought to himself. At that moment Kuthian's voice erupted in his ears.

'[i]Eragon, do you still wish to know how Murtagh was able to draw the shade into his body?[/i]'

Eragon was silent for a moment, '[i]Well, now that he's dead, I don't suppose it matters much, but yes, I still want to know.[/i]'

'[i]Alright then. Listen well, for there is only time for me to tell you once. Now, as I already told you, I am old enough to have known the Grey Folk. Before they bound magic, they lived in a time of fear. Any use of magic could and often did cause catastrophe.

'Their leader was called Fenror. He often consulted with me. I see you look surprised by that Eragon, dragons could talk before the joining of Elves and dragons, although only in a long forgotten language which the Grey Folk taught us.

'Then, a great catastrophe befell this land. One which was caused by a spell which went horribly wrong. Even I don't know what it was. This caused the Grey Folk to go into decline, no-one knows why. Maybe it was the spell which did that, maybe it was natural selection.

'After that they decided bind magic to the ancient language. This magic was so powerful that required the strength of all the remaining Grey Folk. But it killed all but the mightiest of their race. They realised that there was only one thing they could do to save their race.

'When any one of them was near death, another would merge their bodies and minds to save their knowledge. But that was not enough to save them. Eventually there was one final Grey Folk remaining. It was Fenror. He knew that the spell they had used to join their bodies and souls as one could be used for tremendous evil.

'He came to me to tell me of his fears. He wanted me to lend him my strength to hide the spell they used, and to ensure the survival of their race.'[/i]

'[i]You mean that the Grey Folk are still alive?'[/i] Eragon asked, a look of shock on his face.

'[i]Yes Eragon, that is what I mean. When the spell was hidden, I used my strength to extract the souls of the Grey Folk from Fenror's body. That one spell of his was perhaps the mightiest ever wrought by anyone, creating both spirits and the means to summon them. So ended the Grey Folk, leaving this land open to the Elves and Humans.'[/i]

'[i]You mean that...[/i]'

'[i]Yes Eragon, that is exactly what I mean. The Grey Folk became spirits. And Galbatorix found the hidden spell.[/i]'

Eragon contemplated this for a while. '[i]So shades are really the Grey Folk?[/i]'

[i]'Yes Eragon. But now, we should go to the Vault of Souls, then, and only then will we be able to destroy Galbatorix.[/i]' Kuthian waited for Saphira to land on his back, then he flew south, his powerful wings speeding him along.

_______

In the distance Arya could see Kuthian hovering. She also saw a shape fall from the sky.

'[i]Kveykva, what was that?'[/i] She asked her brilliant yellow dragon.

'[i]It looked like a dragon[/i]'

'[i]Then it could be Saphira. Can you go any faster?[/i]'

'[i]Yes, I will try[/i]'

With that Kveykva increased the speed of her wings. For a young dragon she was very strong. She flew faster towards Kuthian and the falling dragon. As they grew closer Arya saw Kuthian flying south.

By the time she reached the spot where he was when she first saw him he was long gone. On the distant ground she could see two dragon lying by a river. Kveykva dived down. She sighed with relief as she realised that neither of them was Saphira. Instead there was a brown dragon next to a red dragon. Both obviously dead.

'[i]Eragon must have been here, at least he is alright.[/i]'

'[i]What should we do now?[/i]' Kveykva asked. [i]'Kuthian is too far away for us to catch, and Eragon must be with him.[/i]'

[i]'Let's go back to Dras' Leona. My mother will probably need some help to take the city.[/i]'

[i]'Alright Arya.[/i]' Kveykva turned and flew back towards the city they came from.

**Chapter 69**

Evarinya was constantly pacing the ten by six cell. In contrast Blodhgarm was sat deathly still on the raised wooden plank which was meant to be a bed.

'What are we going to do?' she asked the wise spellcaster.

'We wait.' Was his sharp reply. He was obviously deep in thought.

At that moment a scream tore through the thick stone walls on the dungeon. Despite herself Evarinya shivered. [i]I don't know how Arya managed to last for so long in Durza's clutches.[/i] She tried to contact Sverdar, but her mind met an impregnable barrier. She remembered the drug which had been forced down her throat not half an hour earlier.

'Wait a minute, Blodhgarm, were you given a drug to suppress magic when you were put in here?'

Blodhgarm looked up. He whispered 'No, but keep it quiet, Galbatorix could be listening.' Evarinya nodded and Blodhgarm continued. 'We may have a chance, but it's a slim one. I would tell you it all, but an oath to Arya prevents me from doing so. But I can tell you some of my plan.'

'Does it involve that bag you brought from the tower?' Evarinya interrupted.

'You have much to learn, especially patience,' Blodhgarm said with a smile. 'Yes, it does involve the contents of that bag.'

'How can you use them if they are miles away?' Evarinya blurted out.

Blodhgarm sighed. 'If you would let me finish...'

'Sorry Blodhgarm-elda.'

'Thank you. Sooner or later a guard, or maybe Galbatorix himself will come down for us. When that happens, I will...' Blodhgarm's mouth continued to move, but no words came out. '...Then we will find Sverdar. He will be waiting for us in the courtyard in the centre of the castle. I know it is a risk, but he and I have discussed it, and he feels that it is the only option. DO you understand?'

'Yes, I think so.' Evarinya looked as though she was going to say more, but Blodhgarm raised a finger to silence her.

The short blue hackles on Blodhgarm's neck rose and he hissed slightly. 'Someone is coming' he said, his voice barely more than a hiss.

________

It was many leagues from where Eragon killed Murtagh to the Beor Mountains which is where Kuthian said they were heading. Despite that their snow tipped peaks were visible on the horizon, so high were they. The air was thin, and Eragon and Saphira were higher than either of them had ever been before. But unlike the previous time Saphira had tried to climb so high, they were not struggling to breath. Partly this was due to Eragon's Elven abilities, partly because he had the strength to give send more oxygen to his and Saphira lungs. But mainly it was due to them not having to do anything except sit on Kuthian's back whilst he flew ever onwards towards the Beor Mountains.

Kuthian's powerful wings allowed him to travel entire miles with a single stroke. With every passing minute the mountains drew ever closer.

'[i]If only I were this size. I would be able to explore the world, and maybe convince the wild dragons to return. And how people would tremble as I approached'[/i] Saphira said longingly.

'[i]Don't worry Saphira. One day you will be that size.'[/i] Eragon said in reply. [i]If we live that live that long...[/i] Eragon thought privately. '[i]Saphira, how old do you think Kuthian is?'[/i] he asked her.

'[i]I don't know. He must be very old indeed to have known the Grey Folk. You should ask him.[/i]'

'[i]Alright[/i]' he replied.

He asked Kuthian his question and the mighty dragon turned his head to stare at Eragon. He was dwarfed by the massive cranium. Kuthian chuckled in Eragon and Saphira's head.

'[i]I am far older than you would think. The Elves arrived in Alagaesia three thousand years ago, the Grey Folk 'disappeared', save one, five hundred years before that. That one Grey Folk taught the Elves about magic and the Ancient Language. When his task was done, he vanished. But I divert. I was old then. I am actually five thousand years old.'

'[i]Five thousand!?[/i]' Saphira exclaimed. '[i] Gleadr told me that dragons first appeared around five thousand years ago.'[/i]

'[i]Then he told you the truth[/i]' Kuthian replied.

'[i]Does that mean you are the father of out race?'[/i] Saphira asked with awe.

Kuthian chuckled again. '[i]No, but I am the son of that dragon.'[/i]

'[i]So you know where dragons came from?'[/i] Saphira asked excitedly.

'[i]My father never told me, despite my asking repeatedly. If you were able to find him, maybe he would tell you.[/i]'

'[i]Then he's still alive?'[/i] Saphira asked.

'[i]I don't know. He may be. One thousand years before the Grey Folk caused catastrophe, he flew over the sea and disappeared. I heard nothing until humans arrived in Alagaesia one thousand years ago they brought whispers and rumours of a giant beast who told terrorised the land and scared them enough for them to leave their homes.[/i]'

Then Eragon spoke up. '[i]Do you know where the Dwarves came from?'[/i] he asked.

'[i]Unfortunately I do not. They were in their mountains before I, or my father, came into this world.[/i]'

In the time since Eragon asked Kuthian his age, the Beor Mountains had drawn closer. They were now above Surda, and Kuthian was flying eastward towards the towering peaks. Kuthian spoke again.

'[i]Eragon, before we arrive at the Vault of Souls, there are things you must know. Just as there are evil humans, dwarves and elves, there were some of the Grey Folk who had less than good intentions. A minority of those may still be enclosed within the Vault. However you should be relatively safe, as most of them have escaped to become Shades since the Vaults creation.[/i]'

**Chapter 70**

'[i]Are you sure it is safe Kuthian, I don't want to have to fight another shade.[/i]'

'[i]Eragon, like I said. During the three thousand years since I created the Vault, some of the spirits contained within have found ways to escape. Mainly it has been those with evil intentions who have escaped, but some well meaning spirits, including those you met after killing the Ra' Zac. When I was preparing the Vault for you, there was only one with an evil intent.'[/i]

'[i]Alright, if your sure.'[/i]

Kuthian did not reply, but started to climb higher. In the time since they had started speaking they had travelled many miles. They were now about the enter the towering mountain range, which was why Kuthian was climbing higher.

____________

Even Blodhgarm spoke Evarinya heard a key turning in the lock. She quickly slumped to the floor. She was just in time as at that moment the door opened. It hit the wall with a bang. For the first time Evarinya was able to get an idea of her location. The corridor was low ceilinged and very damp. The only light was from the candles which lined it. Even so there was far more light than in the cell.

Standing in the doorway was a very tall guard. He had to stoop to fit down the corridor. There was also a guard of normal height behind. The tall man spoke first.

'My my, what have we here?' he said with a smile.

'Get up' the shorter man spat.

Neither Evarinya nor Blodhgarm moved. The man drew his sword.

'[i]Do what they say, when we are in the corridor, I will strike.'[/i] Blodhgarm's voice echoed round her head. She couldn't reply as the drug she had been given was still very much in effect. She stood up.

'Good' the smaller man said.

'Not long now.' The tall man whispered to his companion with a smile.

'Shut up, don't let her know.' The other man said.

Blodhgarm stood up as well. He moved towards the door. Before he had even taken two steps the short man had raised his sword and was pointing it at his neck.

'Not another step.' He threatened. 'You're not wanted, yet.'

Blodhgarm put up his hands, the universal symbol of peace. 'Alright' he said.

The tall man turned his head slightly and said in a loud voice, 'These elves are a pushover, I thought they were meant to be tough.'

'Yeah, me to. Although I didn't think they existed until that shade caught one.'

Whilst their attention was diverted Blodhgarm made his move. He ran forward faster than either of the men could blink and grabbed the short mans wrist. He twisted, snapping it in an instant. The sword clattered to the floor. Blodhgarm bent down and snatched it up.

Whilst he was doing that Evarinya had also attacked. The tall man was lying on the floor, his neck snapped it two places. Blodhgarm pushed the smaller man into the cell. He fell to the floor next to his dead companion.

_______

Whilst all that was happening, Kuthian had been climbing ever higher. He was flying towards the highest peak of all, right in the middle of the towering peaks. Eragon saw the hollow mountain of Trondheim far below. He smiled as the sun glinted off the Star Sapphire which had been so recently restored.

Ahead Eragon could see the mountain Kuthian spoke of. They were almost at the same altitude as its peak. As they drew nearer he saw that the top of the mountain was entirely flat, a plateau which had a diameter of about two hundred metres. There was a large rock in the centre which stood about twenty metres tall. It had an opening at the base.

There was a massive dragon on either side of the opening, both far smaller than Kuthian, yet much bigger than Saphira. The third wild dragon who returned to Alagaesia was crouched in front of the entrance to the rock. Kuthian landed which a crash. Below him, Eragon heard several thousand tons of snow rumble towards the valley floor.

Saphira jumped off Kuthian's back and landed next to him. Eragon scrambled off Saphira's back.

'[i]Go into the pinnacle'[/i] Kuthian said to him, '[i]You will know what to do'[/i].

Nervously Eragon walked forwards. The two dragons flanking the pinnacle were both silver, their scales glinted in the brilliant sunlight. They were far above the clouds. He stopped in front of the final wild dragon. It was a magnificent golden dragon, who reminded Eragon of Gleadr, except of course he wasn't missing a limb.

The golden dragon lowered his head until it was level with Eragon's.

'[i]Shadeslayer[/i].' His voice rumbled in Eragon's mind. '[i]The time has come. You are worthy of commanding the power within these walls.[/i]'

Eragon did not know what to say, but bowed his head reverently.

As the golden dragon stepped aside Eragon drew his sword. He didn't mean to, but it just seemed the right thing to do. With a muttered word, blue flames enveloped it, rippling down the fine blade. He raised it so that it was in front up following the line of the pinnacle, straight at the sun, and stepped into the cave.

Despite the light outside it was obvious that none made it into the rocky tower. An eerie blue light from the flames on his sword lit the cave. Blue shadows danced around the walls. In the middle of the cave there was a raised platform with an elegantly carved plinth in the middle. On that plinth there was a glowing orb. It reminded Eragon of an Eldunari, but it wasn't. It was the Vault of Souls.

Eragon stepped onto the platform and reached out with one hand to touch the orb. The instant his fingers touched it there was a sudden gust of wind. The flames on his sword were put out, and the cave fell into darkness once more.

All was silent for a second, then there was the sound of rushing air getting faster and faster. The sound grew louder. The wind was blowing so fast that all the dust and snow from the cave floor was being blown around in a column rising up to the ceiling. Despite the melee, there was no disturbance to anything on the platform on which Eragon stood.

He gazed at the column of dust all around him, his hair being constantly whipped around his face. The dust and snow seemed to vanish, although the funnel of wind stayed visible. Suddenly an orb of light appeared in the wind, then another, and another. Before long the cave was full of dancing lights. Gradually they split off from the mini tornado and started to merge into one on the cave floor.

The instant the last orb left the funnel of wind all was silent. The wind dropped and the dust settled. Eragon turned towards the cave entrance. Fearful of what he would see. Standing before him was a figure. It looked familiar, but at the same time different. Fair, like an elf, yet older, more rugged. Then it hit him. He was staring at what was almost a mirror image of himself.

The glowing figure spoke.

'I am Fenror, leader of the Grey Folk. Why have we been summoned?'

'To fight the greatest evil this land has ever known.'

Suddenly a sword appeared in Fenror's hand. He raised it and pointed it at Eragon. 'How do we know you are worthy of our assistance.'

'I am Eragon Shadeslayer, Rider of Saphira Brightscales.' He raised his sword and re-ignited the flames.

Fenror didn't reply, but swung his sword at Eragon. He reacted just in time to counter the blow. Using his Elven speed and strength he grabbed Fenror's hair and pressed Brisingr to his throat.

'Now do you think I am worthy?' he hissed at the still glowing Grey Folk.

Fenror nodded. Eragon released his hair and stepped back, but he kept Brisingr in his hand. Fenror also took a step back. The glowing intensified. Suddenly there was a flash, and there were two beings in front of Eragon. He could see one was Fenror, but the other looked completely different. Both figure started to glow again, and there was a more powerful flash. Now there were four Grey Folk standing in the hollow pinnacle. The process repeated itself dozens of times. There were so many that they started to spill out onto the plateau. By the time they were finished, there was at least on thousand glowing Grey Folk on the mountaintop.

**Chapter 71**

Eragon stood in the entrance on the stone pinnacle, gazing out at the massed hoard of glowing Grey Folk. The glow rapidly disappeared as they spent more time in the sun. He was now able to get a good look at them. At once he was surprised by the diversity. They men and women of all ages, some tall, some short, and even some who had obviously altered their appearance somewhat, much like Blodhgarm. But there was one overriding thing about all of them. They possessed the same regal look, like a mix of an elf and a great king. Fenror was standing at the front of the assembled host.

'Shadeslayer, we will fight.' He said to Eragon, 'Tell me where you would have us go.'

'You should go to Uru'Baen, for it is before the towering gates that the fate of Alagaesia will be decided.'

Fenror nodded and turned to his people. He spoke in a strange tongue, which sounded a bit like the Ancient Language, but less elegant. He found that he recognised some of the words which were almost identical to the Ancient Language, but most of Fenror's speech escaped him.

'We...summoned...destroy...traitor...revenge...Alagaesia...tremble...'

When he had finished, the Grey Folk erupted in cheering. The Grey Folk at the back of the crowd turned and ran off the top of the mountain. The next row did the same, and the next, and the next, until eventually it was only Eragon, Fenror and five dragons on the peak.

'We will await your arrival.' Fenror said, before he too ran off the mountain.

'[i]Eragon, are you ready to leave?'[/i] Kuthian asked him suddenly.

'[i]Yes, yes I am'[/i]

Eragon ran from the pinnacle and climbed onto Saphira's back, and she jumped up onto Kuthian. He took off. The three wild dragons followed close behind. As soon as Kuthian took off, Eragon could see the Grey Folk far below him, running through the rocks and snow, down the mountain. They reminded Eragon of a flood, rushing towards an un-expecting village, destroying all in its path. [i]What have I unleashed?[/i] he thought as he gazed down upon the host.

Meanwhile, back in the stone pinnacle, there was a glowing orb near the roof. Gradually it gained shape. Clinging to the roof of the cave was on final Grey Folk. It was different to the others, fouler, more twisted than any of them. There was an evil smile on his face.

'I'm back' he hissed, then he dropped to the ground. He too left the pinnacle, but did not run off the mountain like the others, but started to levitate. He started to fly north.

____________

Evarinya followed Blodhgarm down the grimy corridor. He kept glancing down all the numerous side passages and into the cells which lined this, the main passageway. Eventually they came to some stairs. Blodhgarm seemed to know where he was going, which surprised Evarinya as she thought that he too had been blindfolded on their trip to the cell.

They ran up the stairs in silence, Blodhgarm leading confidently all the way. Before long they had reached the top of the stairs. Blodhgarm looked both ways before speaking.

**Chapter 72**

**  
**As Arya drew close to the city she had so recently left she saw several things. The first was a small group of people on the side of the city nearest her. She assumed that they were the surviving members of the Varden, and they were gathered around a large fire. There was an even smaller group, no more than twenty people, who had broken off from the main group, and were heading southwest. They seemed to be carrying something. Finally, on the far side of the city, she could see the Elven army waiting outside the gates.

Arya and Kveykva landed near the larger group. Arya realised that it was most of the surviving Varden, burning the bodies of their fallen comrades. The other, smaller group was now about two miles away. She walked up to Jormunder, who was directing the burning of bodies.  
'Can I do anything to help?' she asked.  
'No, we must do this ourselves. But thank you for offering Arya svit-kona. But the assault on the city will be starting very soon. Our remaining forces are massing with your people on the other side of the city.'

Arya took another look at those who were burning the bodies. The group was made up of women and elderly men.  
'Thank you Jormunder.' She turned to leave, then spoke again. 'Oh, and what have you done with the body of Nasuada?'  
'The dwarves have offered to entomb her next to her father. I have sent what remains of her guard to escort her body to Farthen Dur, and the bodies of those important members of the Varden, including two of the council. Her funeral will be held when the empire has been defeated.'  
'Alright. I am sorry for your loss.'

With those parting words still ringing in her ears, she ran back to Kveykva and climbed onto her. Kveykva leapt into the air and flew across the city. As she passed over the defending archers launched a volley at them. Arya's wards caused them to fall away harmlessly back towards the city. Some of them fell in such a way that they killed or seriously wounded about a dozen archers. _That makes it all a bit easier_ Arya thought to herself.

Within seconds they were landing in the centre of the army. It was mainly Elves, but Arya saw the soldiers that Jormunder had told her about, several dozen Urgals, a large group of Cavalry led by King Orrin of Surda, and several hundred Dwarves, a token force sent to aid in the assault on Dras' Leona whilst the main army headed to besiege Uru'Baen.

The leaders of each force, her mother, King Orrin, Roran, Nar Garzvog and Shrrgnein walked forward to meet her. Islanzadi spoke.  
'I am glad you are here, we need a Rider for this assault.'  
'Of course' Arya replied. She noticed that her mother ignored the normal Elven protocols.  
'You have arrived just in time. We attack in a matter of minutes.' Roran spoke up.  
'Eragon will be glad you survived' Arya said to him.  
It was only then Arya noticed the pained look on Roran's face  
'But at what cost?' he replied sadly  
'Enough' Islanzadi snapped, 'I know of your loss Roran, and I am truly sorry, but we have no time for this now. My spell weavers are on the verge of breaking through the gates. We will be attacking momentarily. You can mourn later, right now we need you.'  
Roran nodded tearfully. Before he could speak a loud crack echoed through the air. Everyone snapped round to see where it came from. The massive wooden and iron gates were lying on the floor, the hinges destroyed. Behind them there was a solid iron portcullis. And behind that was a horde of the Empires soldiers and the city guard.

The true soldiers of the Empire were a formidable sight. Clad in shining steel armour with flowing red capes on top and chain mail as black as the night sky below they dominated the first dozen rows of defenders. They all had mighty broadswords, longer than a dwarf was tall. The first two lines had halberds with vicious curved blades at the top, and foot long spikes pointing into the sky.. They were all veterans of at least a dozen bloody campaigns. The strongest, toughest and most intelligent fighters of the Empire. This was just a fraction of their number. They were the Empires elite, Galbatorix's handpicked army. A bitter laugh rang through the air. Just one voice, but it set everyone's hair on edge.

'Prepare for the assault.' Islanzadi shouted at the top of her voice.

The leaders hurried back to the head of their respective forces. Arya climbed back onto Kveykva and drew her sword. All around her she heard more swords being drawn. Kveykva once more took off and circled above. From her raised vantage point she saw three Elven spell weavers backing away from the entrance to the city. As one they raised their arms and began to invoke a spell to destroy the portcullis. She also saw King Orrin's cavalry massing in front of the gate tower.

After a few minutes there was another loud crack and Arya saw the iron portcullis crash to the ground. Despite the noise, the lines of elite soldiers did not flinch. In the same instant Orrin's cavalry charged towards them. As one the first two rows lowered their halberds, the blades facing upwards and the spikes towards the charging cavalry. Arya sheathed her sword and rapidly strung her bow. Kveykva had two large quivers strapped to her saddle, one on either side. Within an instant Arya was firing an arrow every second, her hands a blur as they reached down into the quiver and back to the bow. Several of the elite soldiers fell, but it was too few to have much effect on their number.

At that moment the cavalry hit the Empires soldiers. Some of the horses hit the spikes on the end of the halberds. Their riders were thrown forwards onto the waiting blades. Arya flinched as several Surdan's were split in two. After seeing that gruesome fate the rest of the cavalry were more cautious. Some tried to jump over the halberds, and were partially successful. Some of the soldiers managed to react in time, brining their halberds up in time to impale those who attacked them, but many were slain as the cavalry landed on them. The next two rows were massacred before they could even draw their swords.

By this point the cavalry were spread thin in the ranks of defenders. The cobbled road into the city was dyed with blood, from both the defenders, and the attacking cavalry. When the surviving cavalry, about half their initial number, were completely surrounded by the ranks of defenders, including several hundred of the Empires elite, the elves entered the city.

The elves were covered by a blanket of wards, maintained by about a dozen spell weavers who were scattered throughout the ranks, mainly towards the back. Unsurprisingly Islanzadi was leading the charge. In the same instant several dozen ladders were raised, and the surviving Varden began to climb. After a minute had passed most of the two hundred human soldiers were on the walls, cutting through the hundreds of archers already in place. The group of dwarves and Urgals followed the Varden up.

Despite their experience, the elite soldiers were no match for the Elves. Arya continued to fire down into the mass of red-cloaked troops. To her surprise there were no wards protecting them, as if the Empires magicians did not exist. When Arya was out of arrows, Kveykva dived down into the fray. Arya jumped off. In one fluid motion she drew her sword and decapitated a defender. Blood sprayed though the air in a gruesome fountain as the man's head flew through the air. His body fell, knocking into another, causing the death of that man too as another elf cut him down whilst he was distracted.

Kveykva and Arya moved rapidly through the press of the cities defenders. Kveykva killed with her claws, tail and teeth, Arya with sword and spell. It had been less than five minutes since the inner gates had broke, yet the mass of defending soldiers had been reduced to a small group, no more than fifty strong, of the Empires elite troops. They were surrounded with bodies, mainly those of Orrin's cavalry, yet there were also about a dozen elves who had been overwhelmed and cut down.

Arya watched Kveykva jump, higher and further than she had ever jumped before. She landed right in the middle of the group. About ten of them were crushed instantly. Kveykva whipped her tail round and sent several more flying. For no more than a second the attention of the others was on what was happening behind them. But it was enough. In that second twenty or so elves, including Arya and Islanzadi were upon them. Within a few seconds the group had been decimated, except one. No matter what happened, he would not die. He was bleeding heavily from several places, he had lost one arm, and the other was hanging off. He was also missing the lower half of his left leg, causing him to stand in a peculiar, lopsided way. He laughed as he spoke.  
'You can't kill me' he said, blood trickling down from his mouth. He coughed slightly, sending a ball of blood flying through the air. 'He sent me to Dras' Leona, to give you this message.' He coughed again. 'He only sent _normal _soldiers here, whilst the rest of us were transformed. Uru'Baen is full of us, completely invincible.' He continued laughing.

Islanzadi strode forwards and swung her sword at him. It cut through his remaining arm. The man laughed some more. Blood sprayed from his shoulder. Islanzadi took a tiny step back, and began a mighty swing. The laughing man's head flew off. There was another spray of blood from his neck. It seemed as though he had no blood remained within him. His head hit the floor, his final laugh frozen forever on his face.

Overlooking the entire scene was the Cathedral of Dras' Leona, hauntingly beautiful. Inside it was the entrance to a flooded tunnel. A man dived into the water and started to swim through its flooded depths.

**Chapter 73**

Evarinya felt Blodhgarm slump onto her back. She turned and pushed him upright. He fell forwards again.  
'Blodhgarm, what's wrong?'  
'T...tell Eragon.' He stuttered. He coughed and thimbleful of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. 'Tell him to go to Du Fells N..Nangoroth. He will find wh...what he seeks there.'  
'Blodhgarm?' Evarinya asked questioningly. Then she saw what she didn't want to see. A single arrow was sticking out of his back, the blue fur turning rapidly red. Behind her she could the largest tower of Uru'Baen receding into the background. On it she could see a single figure, waving a bow in the air.

Galbatorix knew what was happening, of course he knew. He knew the instant the two guards died. Grinning slightly to himself, he got up of his dark throne and walked to the opposite wall. Mounted on brackets were his finest weapons. The elegant silver sword, given to him a week after his original dragon hatched. He tried not to look at it, but involuntarily he did. He felt a twinge of pain as it brought back memories he thought he had buried. There was also a jet black sword, stolen from Shruiken's original Rider. Finally there was a fine Elven bow, recovered by Durza from the Elves who stole the blue egg. He picked it up, along with the full quiver which was mounted below it.

He slowly walked up the stairs, aware that he still had several minutes before the Elves 'escaped'. When he reached the tower roof he strung the bow. He waited patiently for them to appear in the air on the far side of the opposite tower. When nothing happened for several minutes he began to worry. _They should have flown by now, why haven't they?_  
'_Shuriken, what is happening? Have they escaped yet?'_  
His dragons voice came to him over their twisted half bond. '_They haven't come past my pen yet. There seems to be some form of delay below. Wait, here they come master._'

Galbatorix did not honour his beast with a reply. Instead he raised his bow and grinned in readiness for the hunt. He did not have to wait long. Two minutes later a shape appeared in the sky, shining like an emerald, on the far side of the other tower. With his bow he tracked the figures on the back of the dragon. He muttered '_thrysta_', and released the arrow in the same instant. The arrow flew straight at hit the strange creature sat on the back of dragon fell forward and hit the other elf, stopping him from getting another shot. He followed the dragon for a few more seconds, but when it was obviously out of range he lowered the bow and walked back down the stairs.

The return journey felt a lot shorter to Eragon as Kuthian flew back north. The army of Grey Folk was still running below.  
'_Eragon, you should sleep, you haven't slept for days, and you will need your strength for the coming battle._'  
Eragon didn't reply, but lowered himself forwards until he was leaning on Saphira's neck. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. The Grey Folk below continued to run.

The single Grey Folk who was in the air flying north saw the shapes of Kuthian and the other three dragons in the distance. They had a large lead on him, due to the fact that their wings enabled them to fly much faster than him. He was glad of that lead, as he didn't want his plans to be ruined. And anyway, they would soon turn east, whereas he wanted to head north for much longer.

He had spent the best part of three thousand years planning revenge on this sorry land. He had come close to succeeding one before, but somehow he was stopped. _It will work_ he told himself, _it has to work_.

The elves split up into several dozen small bands who began roving the city, trying to find any pockets of resisters. Arya and Kveykva circled above, directing the other elves to large pockets of resistors. Suddenly Arya noticed several dozen people hurrying up the hill towards the cathedral. About half of them were in chains, slaves gangs heading up to the church for only one possible reason.

With no words spoken, Kveykva landed in a square near the top of the hill. Arya sprung off and Kveykva took off again.  
'_Be ready to attack when I give the word_' she said.  
'_Alright_' Kveykva replied. She flew towards the cathedral and landed on top of the tower.

Arya ran towards the cathedral and hid in an alcove near the door. Before long the groups of people reached the building and went in. When the door was closing for the final time, Arya darted in and hid behind a curtain. Through a slight gap, she could see the everything that went on. There was a man speaking from a podium in the middle of the cavernous room. He was missing all hit limbs. With a look of horror, Arya noticed that most of the people in the cathedral were missing limbs as well.

'This is not the usual place' the stunted man said, 'But it shall work just as well.'  
As he spoke two more priests, with all their limbs, moved forwards. They both held a long, curved blade. Unbidden, a young priest stepped forwards. The limbless man nodded with approval. The priest stretched both his arms out and bowed his head. The other two priests moved towards him, and raised their blades. The only two weapons in the cathedral. They raised them in tandem and spoke some words in a dark language. As one they slashed downwards. The young priests arms fell to the ground and blood spurted through the air. The blades rose and fell again and again as more and more priests and devoted worshippers sacrificed their limbs to their foul cause.  
'Creator!' the High Priest said, 'We have given ourselves to you. Now release us from this plague of invaders.'  
When nothing happened, the man nodded again. The first line of slaves was dragged forwards. The blades rose, and started to fall towards the necks of the chained slaves. It was then that Arya moved. Faster than any of the priests could see, Arya ran forwards, drawing her sword as she moved. Just before the silver blades bit the waiting necks of the slaves, Arya's sword stopped them. The priests mouths dropped open. That was all they could do.

The only two threats in the building were those who carried the blades. With a flick of her wrist, Arya sent the first blade flying. It span through the air, straight towards the High Priest. With no arms or legs he couldn't move to avoid it. It hit him in the centre of his chest. He fell of his podium and lay on his back, bleeding through a large wound on his chest. No one moved to help him, mainly because no-one could. He was bled slowly to death.

In those few seconds, Arya had beheaded the priest she disarmed and was moving in on the second. Suddenly Kveykva spoke to her.  
'_Do you need me yet?'_ she asked impatiently.  
'_No, I'm nearly done here.'_  
'_Fine_' Kveykva huffed.

As she moved, Arya didn't notice the numerous limbs lying on the floor. She swung her sword at the remaining priest. It was the slight step forwards which was her undoing. She caught her foot on an arm and fell. She pushed her hands in out in front of her to stop the fall, dropping her sword as she did so. But she didn't react quickly enough. She felt the priest put a foot on the centre of her back and press down, restricting her movement. Sh tried to reach for her sword, but it was just out of her grasp. She quickly realised this, and spoke one of the words of death. The priests wards stopped her spell. _Typical,_ she though, _this would be the one priest who can do magic._ The man laughed, and swung his blood stained sword towards Arya's neck

**Chapter 74**

With practised skill the silver blade fell towards Arya neck. Milliseconds before the sword hit her, there was a rumble. Arya heard the blade whistle to a stop just inches from her neck. She gingerly twisted her head to see what had caused the priest to stop. He was gazing towards the roof of the cathedral, from which columns of dust were falling, like stalactites clinging from the roof of a cave. There were also some larger chunks of masonry were falling among the assembled priests most of them were bleeding on the floor, whilst others were stood watching the combat with glee on their pain ridden faces.

As the priest started at the falling roof, his attention was diverted. This caused the powerful spell holding Arya to lessen a slight amount. She quickly found that she was able to move slightly. She could not move far, but it was far enough for her fingers to clasp her blade, lying among the severed limbs.

More and more chunks of the roof were falling now and they were all falling much closer to Arya and the priest. Without warning, the largest chunk to fall yet hit the ground just meters from Arya. She flinched back as much as she could, as did the priest. His foot stayed on her back, just, but in his distracted state the magic holding her down all but vanished. In a single smooth motion, Arya rolled over and swung her blade. It cut through the priests left shin then got stuck in the bone. The priest stumbled back, his left foot all but hanging off. Arya's sword was still in it, but as he moved, Arya kept a firm grasp on the hilt. It slid out with a sickening noise. Arya sprung to her feet to finish off the priest, but despite her speed, she was not fast enough. A chunk of the roof was falling towards him. It was at least six feet long, and shaped like a spear. Arya's eyes darted towards it. The priest saw this, and looked up. Just in time to see the implement of his destruction. The point hit him straight in the right eye. It continued down through his body, splitting it cleanly in half. Blood sprayed everywhere as the masonry continued through the priest. The point hit the floor and shattered. The rest of it followed, sending bloody shards across the room. One hit a priest, decapitating him, spraying more blood across the cathedral floor.

Arya looked up at the spot from which the rocky spear had fallen. There was a hole in the roof , and a yellow head was poking through it.  
'_I thought you might need a little help'_ Kveykva said.  
'_You didn't need to do that, I had it all under control.'_  
Kveykva snorted. '_Saphira warned me that you two legs are magnets for danger_'  
'_Saphira said that?_' Arya asked.  
'_Saphira said a lot of things_' Kveykva replied. '_Are you alright?'_  
'_I'm fine_' Arya said. '_And thank you, breaking the roof probably saved my life._'  
'_You have to admit, it was pretty cool when the rock hit him_' Kveykva said, ignoring Arya's remark, though the pride was obvious in her voice.  
Arya didn't reply, but walked towards the door. She ignored the remaining priests. They were 'armless. Behind and above her, Kveykva's head disappeared from the hole in the roof, only to reappear seconds later attached to her body, which landed in front of Arya.

In his castle, Galbatorix was making preparations. He had just found out, through use of scrying, that Dras' Leona had fallen. He looked through the large window which took up fully half the eastern wall. The legions of his elite personal guard were already leaving their camps just outside the city walls and entering. The first regiment was on their way to his castle, where they would form an impenetrable boundary around it. The others would line the city walls and streets. The peasants of the city were either hiding in their cellars, or had been forced out of the city, to ensure that all of his armies would fit. Shruikan and the surviving three riders were constantly patrolling above the city. All was in readiness for the defence of the city.

**Chapter 75**

As Arya made her way down through the city, it was obvious that the cleanup had begun. Already there were plumes smoke rising into the sky from the great pyres on which the Empires dead were incinerated. There were also some inhabitants of the city, braver than most, who plucked up the courage to leave their homes. Whenever Arya saw any of these people, she told them that it was safer if they stayed hidden in their homes. Most of them did as she said, especially when they noticed Kveykva circling above.

By the time she reached the lower levels of the city most of the bodies had been burnt. There was one last pyre remaining. It was fuelled by Elven magic. The flames were of all different colours, green, blue, orange, red and yellow. The flames danced around the bodies.

'Ah, Arya, there you are' Islanzadi said, walking up behind Arya. 'Where did you go? We could have used your and Kveykva's aid in burning the bodies.'

Before Arya could reply there was a loud rumble. Everyone in the square turned to look up towards the centre of the city. There was a loud [i]crack[/i], and the spire of the cathedral which dominated the city fell down, landing on the rest of the imposing building. There was another rumble, and the surviving walls collapsed inwards. A cloud of dust hung above the site it once stood.

Arya looked at the dust rising from the ruins, then at Kveykva, then at her mother. 'Sorry' she said meekly. To her surprise, Islanzadi did not have a stern or even disapproving look on her face. Instead, she laughed. It was a sound which reverberated round the square. From the all the houses came cheers from the cities inhabitants. Arya looked towards the remaining pyre, it was now ashes. The Elven magic had done its work.

All around her, the elves had changed from celebrating victory to preparing to leave. The change had happened in just an instant. The dwarves were already marching out of the gate, heading east, towards Uru'Baen.

'We must go' Islanzadi said. Arya nodded, waited for Kveykva to land, then climbed onto her back.

__________

Eragon stirred on Saphira's back. Far below, he could see the thousand Grey Folk running along with them. In the distance he could see smoke rising from Uru'Baen's chimneys.

On the horizon the sun was setting. The Grey Folks' glow grew stronger. After about half an hour, they looked like stars which had reached the ground. Uru'Baen was much closer, and the Grey Folk had changed from looking like a disorganised rabble, although from above it was clear they were far more organised, into a large, glowing, block of deadly soldiers.

**Chapter 76**

The Elves were running far below Arya and Kveykva. Although the dwarves and men had a several mile lead, they were soon overtaken. Every few hours the Elves paused for a short break, although they obviously didn't need it, to let the dwarves and men catch up.

It was in one of these regular pauses that Arya, high above the ground, noticed a strange light far away to the east. Illuminated by the unearthly glow was the outline of Uru'Baen.

'[i]What do you think it is?'[/i] she asked Kveykva.

'[i]Its too far to tell, even for me to see, but I suspect you will find that Eragon is at the bottom of it.[/i]'

'[i]As always'[/i] Arya joked.

'[i]Arya, I am part of your mind, so I understand what you mean, and I know how you feel, but just as often, you are to be found at the bottom of world changing events. I cannot say why, but it seems that your Wyrda is intertwined with the future of this land.[/i]'

'[i]Fate is inexorable'[/i] Arya muttered with her mind, musing over a memory from her youth which had chosen that moment to re-surface in her mind.

'[i]I wonder where Tel'naeir is now.[/i]' Kveykva said.

'[i]How do y... Wait, of course you know. Maybe one day we should find out[/i]' Arya said, her mind lingering on memories of the ancient and wise elf who had taught her magic and how to fight, nigh on a hundred years previously.

From below there was the sound of mailed boots trampling the ground. The armies of dwarves and men had re-joined the Elves. Suddenly Islanzadi spoke to Arya with her mind.

'[i]Arya, the Dwarves tell me that their main host is not far from here, can you see them anywhere?[/i]'

'[i]No, not yet, I will tell you when we do.'[/i]

_________

Uru'Baen was near, Eragon could sense it. There was a foul smell in the air, and the glowing horde below illuminated the fertile plains made forever useless by heavy fighting during the Fall, one hundred years ago.

Eragon nervously extended his mind, trying to find out how many were in the city, yet at the same time, trying not to alert the enemy. Suddenly, his mind came into contact with a familiar one.

'[i]What is Evarinya doing here?'[/i] Eragon asked Saphira.

'[i]I don't know, I tried contacting Sverdar, but he did not reply. However, I did sense a great sadness emanating from his mind.[/i]'

'[i]What could have happened?'[/i]

'[i]We will find out soon enough, they are heading this way.[/i]'

Sure enough, after a few minutes Sverdar and Evarinya burst through the clouds and flew alongside Eragon and Saphira. Eragon instantly noticed that there was a body draped across the saddle. A familiar body, covered in blue...

'Blodhgarm!' Eragon exclaimed, staring at the corpse of the elf. He turned to see Evarinya's tearful eyes gazing into his own. 'What happened?'

Despite her sorrow, Evarinya told Eragon everything that had happened to her, from the moment she set off after him when he revived Arya, to her eventual arrival in the skies near the kings dark fortress.

'Moments before he died, Blodhgarm told me to tell you this. "Go to Du Fells Nangoroth, for there you will find what you seek." '

'What could that mean?' Eragon asked.

'I'm not sure, it could have something to do with a bag he kept close to him after we left Arya. Just before we were captured, he sent it somewhere by magic, but I don't know where.'

Before Eragon could ask more, Kuthian interrupted, his mental voice drowning out all others.

'[i]Eragon, now I must leave you.[/i]'

Eragon turned his head to see one of Kuthian's large, yellow eyes right next to his head. Was he not used to Kuthian's presence, and firmly strapped into Saphira's saddle, he might have fallen off.

'[i]What do you mean?'[/i]

'[i]I mean I have come too far, and am leaving you.'[/i]

'[i]B...Bu...But you can't! Not on the eve of battle, not now![/i]' Eragon exclaimed.

'[i]I have already come too far. What if one of the cities defenders saw me?'[/i]

'[i]Then they would tremble in fear, and make would rout the with ease[/i]' Eragon replied confidently.

'[i]Eragon, this is your fight, I will not, cannot, interfere overmuch. Like I said, I have already done too much to aid you. When I am needed, I shall come. You know where my Eldunari is, so contacting me will not be difficult. Until then, this is goodbye.[/i]'

'[i]Alright[/i]' Eragon said grudgingly, '[i]But next time we meet, I want a fuller explanation than that.[/i]'

'[i]I expected nothing less'[/i] Kuthian said.

Kuthian turned and flew away, along with the three dragons who accompanied their leader across the ocean to Alagaesia. As he disappeared into the clouds to the south, his parting words ran rings around Eragon's mind. [i]It is your Wyrda.[/i] Again and again the four words repeated themselves in his head.

__________

On the walls of Uru'Baen two soldiers stood side by side. They were not a part of the Empires elite squadrons, so had not been made immune to pain. As a result the were fearful of the oncoming battle. The shorter of the two, Murt, tapped his comrade on the shoulder and pointed to the south.

'What was that?' He whispered fearfully.

There had been an un-holy glow on the horizon for almost half an hour now, just long enough for the guards to stop thinking about it, so the second warrior, Baldor, had not been looking at it.

'It was nothing' Baldor replied, not even looking in the direction his friend pointed.

'No, I really saw something. It was huge, larger even than Galbatorix's beast.'

In that same instant, a black shadow landed next to Murt and Baldor. Baldor immediately several nervous steps back.

'[i]I heard that'[/i] Shruikan said to both of them.

Before either could reply, Murt was moving rapidly down Shruikan's gullet. Shruikan looked at Baldor for a second, then decided it wasn't worth the effort, so flew off, leaving him untouched.

**Chapter 77**

Arya heard the sound of mailed boots long before she saw their owners.

'[i]Mother, can you hear that sound?[/i]' Arya asked Islanzadi.

'[i]What sound?'[/i] she replied after a few seconds.

Arya's elevated position allowed her to hear the many sounds from below without interference from trees or hills.

'[i]I think it's the dwarves, I can hear them marching[/i]' Arya said.

'[i]Very well, find the origin of the sounds and report back to me.[/i]'

'[i]Alright[/i]'

Kveykva had been listening in to the conversation, she had no choice, and instantly changed her course slightly and dived down towards the Dwarven host.

_____

'Grimstnzborith Orik, a dragon is approaching from the east.'

Orik turned to see a lightly armoured Dwarven messenger at his side.

'Tell the archers to prepare to fire' Orik said, 'But wait until you can identify which side it is on.'

The Dwarf thumped his right hand with his heart, a gesture of loyalty to his king.

_____

Below Arya could see the Dwarves marching towards the site at which they would meet with the combined armies of Elves, men and Urgals. Several of them were running back down the lines with bows in their hands.

'[i]I hope they don't fire at us[/i]' Kveykva said to Arya.

'[i]My wards will protect us if they do, but I hope it won't come to that.[/i]' she replied.

Just at that moment the Dwarven archers opened fire. A cloud of black arrows flew towards the pair. Kveykva continued to descend towards the ground. When the arrows were twenty feet away the bounced of Arya's wards and hit the nearby trees with muffled [i]thumps[/i].

Kveykva landed seconds later and Arya jumped off. She ran towards the Dwarves. When they realised that they had been firing at Arya and Kveykva they looked at their feet with embarrassed looks on their faces. It was a strange look to see on a Dwarves face. They muttered muffled apologies in their own language, and one said;

'Forgive us Dragon Rider, we were hasty to fire.'

'It is alright...'

'Garnez,' the dwarf said, sensing Arya's question.

'It is alright Garnez, better to attack than to be destroyed. Now can one of you take me to King Orik?'

'Yes Dragon Rider.' The Dwarf nodded and started to run towards the head of the column of Dwarfs marching past.

After a minute or two of running, they reached Orik.

'Arya Drottningu, it is good to see you again.' He said, making the Elven gesture of loyalty.

'And you, congratulations on being elected king.'

'Thank you. Now, why have you come? We are ahead of schedule to meet your mothers army.'

'I know, but she wanted me to check to see if it were really you, and not the enemy.'

'Of course.' Orik nodded bluntly.

_____

The city of the greatest evil ever to roam Alagaesia loomed ahead. The glowing Grey Folk bathed the city in an eerie green light. But Eragon wasn't looking at the city, he was staring at Kuthian disappearing into the distance.

'Eragon, what is wrong?' Evarinya asked Eragon.

'It's just...' Eragon started, 'It doesn't matter.' He finished quickly.

'You must prepare for the battle' Evarinya said, 'it is just mere hours away.'

'Of course, forgive me.' Eragon said.

Below him, the Grey Folk slowed to a walk, and Saphira and Sverdar dived down towards the ground.

'[i]We should stay here for the night, out of sight from the city.'[/i] Saphira said to Eragon.

'[i]Not that they haven't seen us already, just look at the glow from them,' Eragon pointed at the Grey Folk.

At just that moment, the glow suddenly disappeared. Suddenly Eragon felt his mind come under a powerful mental assault. Reacting on instinct, he threw up mental walls to defend himself. He felt Saphira, and even Sverdar lend their strength to help Eragon fight off the attack. He fought off the assault for several minutes, then felt it weaken greatly. He reached out to find the mind of his attacker.

'[i]Eragon...[/i]' Saphira said cautiously.

'[i]Not now'[/i] he replied, still searching for the person who attacked him. To his surprise, the attacker was not in Uru'Baen, or even near it. Instead, it seemed to be somewhere between Dras' Leona and Uru'Baen. The mind seemed strangely familiar...

'[i]ERAGON, YOU IDIOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???[/i]' Arya shouted at him mentally.

Eragon winced as he heard Arya shout at him.

'[i]We are nearly at Uru'Baen.[/i]' Arya finished.

'[i]Sorry.[/i]' Eragon replied.

'[i]Oh, and what is that strange green glowing near Uru'Baen?[/i]'

'[i]I opened the Vault of Souls, and summoned the Grey Folk from within. Now they are preparing to fight the Kings forces. It's a long story[/i]' he finished.

'[i]We will be with you within the hour.[/i]' Arya finished and left Eragon's mind.

____

The following morning, Eragon awoke to find that the relatively small camp of Grey Folk was now surrounded by the tents of Elves, Dwarves and men. He left the tent and saw that the armies were already waiting outside the gates.

'[i]Saphira! Why didn't you wake me?'[/i]

'[i]I have been trying for about an hour, we are all waiting for you.[/i]'

Eragon pulled on the final pieces of armour as he ran towards the battlefield. He ran past the army of Dwarves, and saw Orik stood at the head of his forces. Eragon waved a hand at Orik as he ran past, and Orik raised his axe at Eragon in reply. He also passed the remnants of the Varden, and saw Roran at the front.

Eventually he reached Saphira, who was stood next to Kveykva and Sverdar. He climbed onto Saphira, and caught the disapproving looks of Arya and Evarinya. To his right, Islanzadi was finishing her speech to her people.

'...Fight to free our forests and fight to free Alagaesia!!!' Islanzadi called, her voice amplified through magic.

**Chapter 78**

Baldor gazed out of the city towards the massed forces of Alagaesia before him. The largest force was easily the Dwarves, numbering more than five thousand. Then, on the far left there was the Elven army, mythical creatures whose existence he had never believed in until they started to capture northern cities. On the other side of city, out of sight from his position on the walls, was the strangest army of all. Creatures which looked like a cross between men, and, know he realised, Elves. When they had taken positions the previous night they were glowing green. Baldor was glad they were on the other side of the city. Finally, there was a tiny company of men, numbering around two hundred. They were the remnants of the Varden, so recently the scourge of the Empire. All he knew about their reduction in size was the Murtagh was somehow responsible, but since he had never returned, it was only rumours. Then he saw something which terrified him more than anything else he had seen that day. Three mighty dragons, one blue, one green and one yellow, took off from behind the Elves where they had been concealed. As one they roared, shaking the city to its very foundations.

_________

High above Baldor, Galbatorix was surveying the same scene from atop his tower. In the dragon hold opposite Shruikan was being prepared for battle, his dragon armour having just finished being enlarged by the finest smiths in the Empire. He too was prepared, standing in his polished black armour, which glinted and shone like an evil sun. He drew his black sword and raised it into the air. The tip caught the sun, and sent a narrow beam of light towards the leader of the remaining Varden. Far below, the painless elite stood shoulder to shoulder, lining the streets and rooftops, waiting for the gate to break. And on the walls, thousands of archers, all with waiting for his order to fire. From the dragon hold behind him, he heard wings beating, and knew without looking that the remaining three nameless Riders were taking to the air.

_________

Roran stood at the head of the Varden, itching to give the order to attack, to get revenge for Katrina. He looked up and saw the target of his hatred stood at the top of the tallest tower. [i]How can he just stand there with impunity?[/i] Roran thought, [i]Well, he will pay for what he did, I swear it on my life.[/i] At that moment he smelt burning, and looked around. A small, but rapidly growing hole had appeared in his tunic. A beam of light was at the centre, burning its was to his flesh. Small flames danced around the edge of the hole. Quickly he patted them out, wincing as his hand passed through the focused beam of pure energy. Before the beam of light could do any more damage, a cloud passed over the sun, completely obscuring it, causing the beam to disappear. Without looking, he knew who did it, the knowledge only increased his hatred.

________

Saphira took off with Sverdar and Kveykva alongside her. Finally, Eragon was able to see the city of Uru'Baen it the light of day. At first glance, it appeared to be just as Oromis's fariths had depicted it, high walls, tall towers and elegant buildings, but although the architecture had remained the same, the was a foul air about it, the buildings had become darker, the towers seemed taller, and the walls more menacing. This picture of evil was only enhanced by the presence of thousands of visible archers lining the walls, and thousands more of the Empires foot soldiers lining the streets. And then it was that Eragon caught the first glance of his mortal foe.

The dark king was stood on the tallest tower, covered in black armour, and with a lethal sword raised above him. With his enhanced eyesight, Eragon was able to see clearly who had caused all the devastation, to Alagaesia, to the Riders, and to him. He watched as Galbatorix turned to him, and their eyes met across the what was soon to become the location of the greatest battle Alagaesia had ever seen. Galbatorix had small eyes, the iris as dark as the pupil, giving a strange and unnerving look to his evil face. Eragon saw the corners of Galbatorix's lips raise into a cruel smile. It was hard to tell that his expression had even changed, yet that smile told Eragon more than mere words ever could. It was a confident smile, a look which reminded him of the many wrestling competitions Carvahall had had every year. It was a look he had seen many times before. The look of a man who has seen his opponent and knows that he has won, before the fight could even begin.

'[i]We don't have a hope, do we Saphira?'[/i]

'[i]ERAGON, snap out of it![/i]' Saphira said angrily, '[i]Of course we have hope, your friends are with you, and we will prevail[/i]'

Eragon said nothing, but continued to stare at Galbatorix, knowing that before him lay his destiny, his Wyrda. Before he could think more on the matter, he was distracted by the sight of three large, brown dragons speeding past Galbatorix, one on the left, one on the right, and the third above. After a few seconds they were circling around the tower. In reply to this new threat, Saphira let loose a tremendous roar, which was echoed by Kveykva and Sverdar. Their roars made everyone on the city walls cower in fear. Just to heighten their fear, Saphira sent a long burst of fire towards the city. Luckily Eragon realised what Saphira was going to do, and put his hands in front of his eyes to prevent the fire from blinding him. On either side, Kveykva and Sverdar roared again. They were still much too young to breathe fire, and Saphira's free use of it embarrassed them enough to try and make up for it by being louder than she. Unsurprisingly, none of the three brown dragons made any noise at all. When Eragon had lowered his hands, he looked back towards the tower on which Galbatorix had stood. He had disappeared from sight.

________

At that very moment, Galbatorix was running down the stairs. He stopped in his throne room, and picked the beautiful silver sword, the most treasured of all his weapons, from its brackets on the wall. The black sword was now sheathed on his right side, and he buckled the silver sword on his left. He also picked up the Elven bow and quiver, and strapped them to his back. After briefly pausing to look through the window once more, he continued down the stairs.

His next stop was his treasure room, the mighty wooden and steel doors still scarred from the attempt to break in when Murtagh was kidnapped. With a flick of his fingers, the doors opened and he entered. Barely glancing at the piles of gold and jewels, he headed for a small door, almost hidden behind a mound of gold goblets. With another flick of his finger, the goblets clattered to the floor and scattered around the room. He pushed the door open, making sure he placed his hand in the right place to open it. Within the room there were several piles of Eldunari. Although the amounts were diminished after giving five to each Rider, and putting several in Shruiken's saddle, there were still many hundreds. He checked to make sure Shruikan's Eldunari was at the top of the largest pile, and that all the piles were linked in at least one place. Once he was sure that all was in place, and he would be able to draw strength from them, he left the room, placed several additional enchantments which only he could remove around the door, and headed for the dragon hold. Behind him the doors slammed shut.

When he reached the pen holding Shruikan, he paused for a brief second, then stepped in. Shruikan was waiting for him in the centre of the pen. His newly fitted steel dragon armour greatly contrasted with his jet black hide. There was a hint of bloodstains on the armour around Shruikan's mouth, and Galbatorix noticed that there were fresh bones on the floor, along with the clothes of the slaves who had fitted Shruikan's armour. He nodded with approval and climbed once more onto his fell beast. With a short run, Shruikan launched himself out of the pen and into the air. They descended slightly, but with a single beat of Shruikan's powerful wings they rose ever higher.

__________

Below him, Eragon could see that the Elves had begun their assault on the gate, most were rapidly firing spells at it. He had got his bow out, and was shooting down onto the castle walls. He made sure that every shot counted. Arya and Evarinya were doing the same, as were the Elves who were not attacking the gate. Eragon fired arrow after arrow, and with each one, another defender fell, but there always seemed to be one more to take his place. After several minutes he was down to his last arrow. Carefully he notched it, drew the string, took careful aim, and fired at an archer who he could see was about to fire at him.

__________  
Baldor too was madly firing arrows, although with noticeably less effect than Eragon. Every arrow he, and the other defenders fired, was aimed at either an Elf or Dragon, and although the arrow flew straight and true, at the very last second, its path changed the arrow fell harmlessly to the ground. The green grass in front of the city walls was now black with arrows.

Baldor kept alternating between shooting at the Dragons and the Elves. Suddenly he noticed that the blue Dragon was coming closer to the walls than either of the others. He saw a strange being sat on the its saddle, but that didn't matter to him. What did matter was the fact that that being was aiming his bow straight at him. Acting on instinct, Baldor drew his bow, arrow already in place, and fired at the man on the Dragon.

________

The two arrows, one fired by Eragon, the other by Baldor, met in mid-air. Incredibly, they were on the exact same path, in opposite directions. Eragon's arrow was easily the stronger of the two, having been fired with greater force, and having been crafted by Elves. When the two arrowheads met, Eragon's finely crafted arrowhead split the weaker head of Baldor's, and continued to travel down the centre of the other arrow, cleaving it in two. The shattered arrow fell to the ground in two equal halves, whilst Eragon's continued on towards its target. Seconds later it hit Baldor in the right eye and pierced his brain. A fountain of blood spurted from Baldor's ruptured eye. He fell sideways, over the wall. When he hit the ground with a loud [i]thump[/i], he was well and truly dead.

_________

Eragon started to watch the body fall, but was distracted by a cry from Arya. He slowly turned his head to see a gigantic black dragon slowly rising from behind the tallest tower. With every beat of its powerful wings it rose higher. Although it could not have been older than one hundred and fifty years, it was easily as big as Gleadr, no doubt due to Galbatorix's meddling. Had he not met Kuthian, and seen a truly huge dragon, he would doubtless have been scared by Shruikan's bulk.

Shruikan's steel dragon armour shone with the light of a thousand suns, but this was offset by the cloud of blackness emanating from Shruikan. He gained height until he was above the tower, at which point, Shruikan dropped down onto it, and perched there. The tower shook when his weight touched down, and showers of dust fell down into the streets below. Galbatorix was sat on a saddle in hollow of Shruikan's back. Slowly he drew two swords, one black, the other silver. In reply, Eragon drew Brisingr and quietly murmured its name. The sword burst into blue flames.

**Chapter 79**

On either side of Roran the armies of Dwarves and Elves charged the walls. He watched for a second, then gave the order. All around the surviving Varden rushed forwards. As soon as they came into range of the Empires archers, the sky turned black as thousands of arrows flew at them. Several of the Varden fell almost instantly. Although it was only a dozen or so who were killed by enemy fire, their number was so few that their loss was instantly felt. The rest of the Varden raised their shields above their heads to deflect the arrows.

After several seconds of running through the fire, they reached the relative shelter of the city walls. Roran was dismayed to see that the only dead were those who were carrying the Vardens siege ladders. All but one of the ladders were now lying about a hundred metres away, surrounded by the corpses of those who bore them. Arrows covered the ground between the wall and ladders, making them impossible to reach. Roran around, and saw that most of the surviving Varden were crouched under their shields and pressing their backs to the wall.

Suddenly, they were once more peppered with fire from above. Roran peeked around the edge of his shield and saw that about two dozen archers were leaning over the edge of the walls and firing down. He crouched beneath his shield and edged his way over to the rest of the Varden.

'Roran, what are we going to do?' asked Carn, who was almost out of breath after having healed several arrow wounds already.

'We attack' Roran replied simply, 'Can you create a ward to deflect us from arrows for a few minutes?'

Carn did not reply, but nodded, already preparing the spell in his head. After about a minute he said 'It's done.'

Roran nodded, and looked at the rest of the Varden. 'When I give the word, fire at the archers on the wall.' The men around him nodded and drew their bows. As Roran's order filtered through the Varden, he saw some of the carriers of the final ladder drawing their bows.

'Not you,' he said,' you need to be ready to raise the ladder when there is a gap at the top.'

The ladder carriers nodded, put their bows away and started to lift the ladder.

'Ready?' Roran asked, saw nods from those around him, then finished with 'FIRE!'

As one, more than two hundred of the Varden took several steps back from the wall, and aimed up at those archers who were leaning over. Just before they fired, another flurry of arrows flew at them, but Carn's ward deflected them. Roran saw him wince as his strength wavered under the onslaught. When the Varden fired, the effect was instantaneous, most of the arrows hit their targets, causing the dead or wounded to topple over the edge of the wall. Whilst the Varden were reloading, Roran nodded at the ladder bearers, who quickly raised the ladder against the wall. The hastily constructed ladder was just about long enough to reach the top of the walls, Roran saw with relief.

The Varden who were not firing arrows at the defenders then stepped out from shelter, about fifty of them. They drew their swords and headed for the ladder. Roran was already almost halfway up when they started to climb, his sword in one hand, his shield the other, ready for his revenge for Katrina.

When he reached the top, a gruesome sight awaited him. The dead and dying lay all about, but already new archers were stepping up to take their places. As he jumped from the ladder and onto the walls, the mass of defenders surged forward. Blows came at him from all sides, but his with his sword and shield he deflected most of them. Seconds later the Varden were pouring up the ladder, jumping into the one patch of wall which was clear of defenders. Bit by bit they enlarged the clearing, fanning out into a large semicircle to hold back defenders. The archers were lightly armed, and only had weak leather armour, so it was easy for the swords of the Varden to bite through and maim and kill.

After several minutes of hard fighting, all of the Varden were on the wall, and they were pushing out either way, killing as they went. The defenders seemed to realise that there was no way that they could fight off the attackers with strength of arms, so they drew back, leaving a clear space of around twenty metres from each front.

Roran was surrounded by a group of five defenders when the rest started to retreat, so he didn't instantly notice what was happening. He spun his sword and decapitated one of his attackers. Spraying a fountain of blood onto him and the other four. One of them stepped back to avoid being hit by his comrades head. Taking advantage of this, Roran swung his shield as hard as he could at the man. The shield hit him in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him out. Roran turned to face the other three just in time to deflect a blow aimed at his shield arm. He replied with a blow of his own, neatly removing the attackers hand. As he cried out in pain and stepped back, Roran stabbed him in the chest, causing massive internal damage. He pulled his sword out and left the man to bleed to death. The final two attackers were now worried, having seen Roran almost completely destroy their advantage in seconds. They exchanged a brief look and attacked him from either side. Roran stepped back, almost tripping over a body, and parried a blow from the one attacking his right. The one who was about to attack his left had slipped in a pool of blood and was lying on the ground with his leg broken. His howl of agony distracted the other attacker just enough for Roran to push him with his shield closer to the edge of the wall. The attacker realised what was happening and fought back. They traded blow for blow, and with each blow they pushed the other back. When Roran saw an opening, he took it, and thrust his sword straight into the man's belly. He stopped and looked down in surprise at the sword sticking out of him. In his shock, he took a step back, and off the edge of the wall. Roran stepped forwards, and saw his sword disappear with the dead man into the great mass of the Empire's elite troops in the square below. He turned to retrieve a sword from the grasp of a dead man, and turned his back to the defenders who were now raising their bows.

'Roran! Look out!' someone called to him. He looked up and saw that the front line of Varden was several metres away. One of the soldiers was pointing behind him, so Roran turned, just as the defenders fired. Although he knew Carn's ward was still in place, he raised his shield instinctively and started to slowly back towards the rest of the Varden. As soon as the arrows started to be deflected by the arrows, he knew something was wrong. Each arrow came closer to hitting him than the one before, and he knew it was just a matter of time before one hit him. He dropped to the ground, and, using his shield to protect him, crawled towards the Varden, who were also crouched behind shields. When he reached them, he turned slightly, and looked back at the top of the ladder. Carn should have been stood right next to it, so his ward would cover both fronts without much difficulty. But Carn was nowhere to be seen. Arrows started to hit the shields of the Varden now, and they all knew instantly that their ward had gone. On both fronts, Varden started to fall as those who did not realise that the ward had gone remained standing. They all started to back towards the ladder they had used to get up onto the walls. After about a minute they were all there. Roran estimated that there were less than one hundred and fifty remaining. They formed a small circle with shields all round and above them to protect them from the arrows of the enemy. Then the constant sound of arrows hitting wood stopped.

Roran peered out, and saw that the archers had once again resumed firing at the Elves and Dwarves who were attacking the gates. Just as he was about to give the order to attack again, he saw cloaked elite of the Empire marching up the stairs onto the walls. Roran turned to let the survivors know of the new threat, but didn't utter a word. In the centre of the circle lay Carn, his body covered with arrows.

______

Islanzadi kept feeling arrows deflect of her wards, but she ignored it and kept firing spells to break through the enchantments protecting the gate. Each enchantment took several minutes to destroy, but there were always more. She could see that the Dwarves were having similar problems with the gate they were attacking.

Suddenly she saw two strange figures running round the outside of the walls towards them. One of the figures broke off and headed for the Dwarven forces. The other continued towards the Elves. It ran up to Islanzadi. She was unsure who or what it was. It looked like a cross between a man and an Elf, but as far as she knew, there had never been such a pairing.

'Who are you?' she asked the being standing before her.

'There's no time to explain now.' He said. 'I was sent to aid you by Fenror, our leader. He told us you needed help to break the gate.'

The being spoke in a strange way, it used the Ancient Language, but in a strange dialect, as though from a different land.

'We do not need help.' Islanzadi replied, though she was intrigued about how the being thought he could help, how he could succeed where the Elves were failing.

'Nonetheless, I will aid you with the gates destruction.'

Before Islanzadi could speak, the being raised a hand. A bolt of pure energy flew from his fingertips and hit the centre of the gate. Several hundred metres away, the other being was doing the same to the gate the Dwarves were attacking. Islanzadi felt several of the enchantments on the gate shatter under the sudden onslaught. The strange being did it again, and then a third time. The instant the third beam of energy hit the gate, there was a sharp [i]crack[/i] and the gate disintegrated. Seconds later the same happened to the gate the Dwarves had been attacking. Islanzadi turned to thank the strange being, but it had already started to run back round the city.

She peered through the broken gateway. Ahead lay many thousands of men, with shining steel and red armour. They started to laugh.

__________

From his place perched on Shruikan's back, Galbatorix could see everything. As the Varden assaulted the walls, he watched. Only when it seemed as though they would prevail, and slay many of the archers, he intervened. He drew his bow, a notched an arrow. With practiced skill, he aimed at what he took to be the attackers spellcaster, a man struggling to find the energy to remain standing near the ladder from which the attack had been launched. He had seen the attack, so knew that there was at least one ward in place to defend the Varden from arrows, so he imbued his arrow with spells to break through the wards, which would be weak at best. After a second or two, he fired. The arrow flew true, breaking the wards as it went, and he the magician in the heart. The defenders had already been preparing for a massive counter attack, and saw the magician fall. Seeing the opportunity, they too started to fire.

Galbatorix watched as several dozen of them fell to the arrows. He saw with glee that they were all retreating. As soon as they met up, he realised what would happen, so mentally sent a command to the archers. Fearful of him, they stopped firing. He sent another commands to the leader of a small company of the elite soldiers lining the streets near the Vardens location. They turned and headed for the walls. As he prepared to watch the final destruction of the Varden, who had been a thorn in his side for so long, two figures running around the edge of the city caught his eye.

He was well aware of the strange host of glowing beings who had appeared mysteriously during the night. He had believed them to be Elves who had decided to take strange forms. So far they had taken no part in the assault, in fact, had he not seen the occasional movement, he would have taken them to be statues. He watched with interest as they one broke off and met with the Dwarves, whilst the other continued until it reached the Elves. They did nothing for about a minute, but then, simultaneously, they shot bolts of energy at the gates. Most of the enchantments he had placed were not affected, but at least three shattered under the force. The two strange beings repeated their spell twice more, causing the final enchantments to break.

'[i]What are they?[/i]' Galbatorix asked Shruikan, '[i]There is no magic I know of which would allow them to break those gates so easily.[/i]'

Shruikan did not reply, but Galbatorix could tell that he was deep in thought. The sound of laughter drifted up from below...

**Chapter 80**

The Varden stood as one, and made two defensive lines, one on either flank. On both sides the soldiers of the Empire were marching ever closer. From between the Vardens two defensive walls, archers let loose a volley at the approaching soldiers. Most of the two dozen or so arrows merely bounced off armour, or missed completely. But one did hit its mark. A soldier in the front row caught an arrow in his left eye. To the Vardens surprise, instead of falling, the man reached up, grabbed the arrow and pulled it out. Along with his eye. He dropped it underfoot and continued marching as though nothing had happened. A line of blood trickled down his face form the empty socket.

Roran instantly realised there was something wrong, but did not realise what until they attacked. The two shield walls met with a thunderous clash. Behind him, Roran could hear the same form the other line of Varden, but there was no time to concentrate on that now. He found himself staring at the man who unthinkingly pulled his eye out. The hollow socket looked even creepier because of that.

In the press of bodies, there was no space to swing a sword. Without a second thought, Roran dropped his and pulled the hammer from his belt. It felt good to have his favourite weapon back in his hands. All the while he kept pushing with his shield, not wanting to give his enemy a chance. The man he was attacking had somehow managed to raise his sword above his shield. He swung it at Roran's head. Roran raised his hammer to block the blow. Metal connected with metal, and the head of the hammer halted the blow in its tracks. Before the man could move to strike again, Roran brought the hammer down hard on the hand holding the sword. He heard the crunch of bone and knew straight away that the man's fingers were forever ruined. But the sword did not drop. Despite having his fingers completely destroyed and sticking out at strange angles, the man did not let go. Then Roran realised what was wrong.

'Aim for their heads!' he shouted, struggling to make himself heard over the noise of battle. 'It's the only way to kill them!' No-one replied, but he heard the man behind him pass the instructions down the line.

Roran countered another blow with his hammer, although it was a much weaker attempt than the previous strike. Despite not feeling pain, it seemed that the Empires soldiers could still be injured. His opponent opened his mouth and started to laugh. With that crazed laugh in his mind, Roran brought the hammer down hard on the man's skull. The blow instantly shattered his skull. Bone was driven deep into the man's brain, killing him quickly. But not before the force of his skull caving in popped his remaining eye from its socket. It bounced off Roran's shield and hit the floor by his feet. The man fell on top of it, his mouth still open with laughter on his lips.

But as one fell, so another stepped up to take his place. Whilst the Varden had only one line behind each shield wall, the enemy had many hundreds. The battle wore on. More and more of the Varden fell, until there was no second line. They were also being slowly but surely pushed back, until Roran felt the backs of the other line pressing against his own.

___________

As one the Elves charged towards the cavernous hole in the wall where the giant gates of Uru'Baen once stood. They could see that the Dwarves were also pouring into the city through the gates which had been destroyed by the mysterious being. The solders of the Empire raised their shields and drew their swords in perfect unison. In reply, some of the Elves who were more proficient in magic fired spells at them. To their surprise, the soldiers had no wards protecting them. The spells of fire, lighting and death tore through the front ranks. But those who survived did nothing. Their expressions did not change, nor did they flinch, or move even slightly.

Then the Elves hit. With centuries to hone their skills, they were true masters of blades. Nothing could stand in their way, like a river bursting a dam, the enemy stood no chance. Some managed to raise a blade to defend themselves, but the Elves speed was too much. They were felled with deep wounds to their chest, arms and legs. Within minutes the Elves had broken completely through the lines of soldiers. Or so it seemed. For behind them, the soldiers they thought dead were standing and advancing upon the Elves. In victory, they were careless and left the rear of their advance open to attack. Many fell as the dead rose to attack.

Hearing the noise, Islanzadi turned to see the soldiers cutting down several Elves. Many soldiers were missing limbs, or had deep wounds through their body. If Elves were religious, she was sure that many would now be on their knees praying for deliverance.

'What magic is this?' she whispered to herself, before roasting one soldier with a burst of flames from her finger. He kept walking, though his clothes burnt and his armour glowed red. Before she could watch more, another elf stepped between her and the un-dead man. She saw the elf raise his sword and relieve the soldier of his head. It bounced slightly when it hit the floor. Blood spurted from the body, which seemed to take a step forwards, and for a terrible second, Islanzadi thought it would continue to attack. But it stopped, and fell. The Elves who saw that soldier die were cheered by the thought that they could be killed, so set about attacking with renewed vigour. All around head started to roll and bodies hit the floor.

_________

Far above the chaos in the city, the three brown dragons were flying towards Eragon, Arya and Evarinya. Saphira darted towards the dragon closest to her, and the two beasts hit with a mighty crash. The brown dragon was much larger than Saphira, but not nearly as fast. When it swung a mighty foreleg at Saphira, it hit only empty air. The two dragons hit each other again, with more force this time, and started to claw and bite. Eragon instantly felt a drain in his strength as Saphira's wards deflected the blows.

As the dragons traded blows, Eragon found himself staring into the face of the leader of the five Riders, two of whom were already dead. Eragon swung Brisingr with all his Elven speed and strength. The man somehow managed to get his sword up in time to block Eragon's swing. For a few seconds their swords stayed still, each trying to force the other to back down. Then Saphira pushed away from the brown dragon and the duel stopped for a few seconds.

Saphira let loose a massive burst of flames from her mouth. Flames kept coming, and seemed to go on forever. The brown dragon was hidden behind the wall of fire. Suddenly it burst through, completely unharmed by the heat or flames. The brown dragon swung its tail at Saphira, who quickly grabbed it with her jaw and bit down with all her strength. The brown dragon tried to get away, but was unable to turn to attack. It tried to pull its tail from Saphira's powerful jaw, but again was unsuccessful. It stayed stationary, and caused more pain for itself. Bother the dragon and its Rider howled as Saphira maintained pressure on its tail.

'[i]Should I, Eragon?[/i]' Saphira asked.

'[i]Do what you must Saphira[/i]' Eragon replied.

With that, Saphira put even more pressure on the dragons tail, and started to twist it. The dragon howled even louder as its tail was slowly being destroyed. With a final pull, Saphira tore the dragons tail in two. She spat it out, and half the tail fell to the floor. The other half remained on the dragon, blood flying everywhere. Through the pain, the Rider tried to cast a healing spell, but was unable to focus. Saphira flew into the dragon and resumed attacking with her claws. The dragon howled even more as its skin was penetrated by Saphira's claws, causing deep wounds. More blood sprayed from the dragon, treating the city to a gruesome rain. Eragon swung his sword at the Rider once more, who was still trying to heal his dragons wounds. Although the blade hit the man's wards, the enchantments contained within shattered them. The blade continued along its path and hit the Rider in the thigh. The wound was deep, and almost severed his leg. Once more the man howled in agony.

Saphira pulled away from the dragon's body once more, and swung her tail into a wing. Although the bones were strong, the impact was stronger, and many bones broke, rendering the wing unusable. The dragon stopped flapping its wings and started to fall The Rider once more tried to heal his dragons wounds, but because of his own wounds, he was unable to summon the strength. The dragon continued on its downwards path towards the city, falling faster every second. Eragon saw the Rider looking up at him, knowing what was to come, and unable to prevent it. The dragon started to roll over as it fell, and, just as the Rider was underneath, hit the city walls. The dragon's head drooped over one side, whilst the remains of its tail lay over the other. It crushed several dozen of the Empires soldiers who were fighting a small group of attackers on the wall.

_______

Roran saw the dragon hit the wall just metres in front of him. There was a growing pile of bodies ahead of the small shield wall, a pile which was added to by many who were distracted by the dragon crushing their comrades. Roran quickly dispatched the man he was fighting with another blow to the head, and looked up. High above he could see his cousins dragon flying towards a yellow dragon which was battling with another brown beast. He quickly resumed looking straight ahead. To his surprise, there was no-one in front of him, or his shield wall. The rest of the Empires soldiers had been cut off by the dragon blocking the wall. He, and the rest of the wall spun round to help their other flank. Things were not going so well on that side. In many places there was only one wounded man holding the line, and there were fewer dead soldiers in front of them. Roran could see that there were many, many more soldiers to kill yet.

_________

With a stroke of her blade, Islanzadi killed the final soldier in the streets. A large group of about a hundred Elves headed for the other side of the city where the Dwarves were still fighting hard against overwhelming numbers. The other Elves broke up into smaller groups of twos and threes to sweep the city and check for survivors.

_________

All the while, the Grey Folk had done nothing in the battle except help the Elves and Dwarves break the gates of the city. With a nod from Fenror, they finally attacked the walls. They gained momentum with every step, building up for the big jump. When they reached a seemingly pre-determined point, they all pushed up from the ground and leaped for the walls which were still teeming with archers. The archers had been firing at the Grey Folk almost nonstop since the battle started, but with no avail. Their wards were far too strong for mere arrows to break.

The Grey Folk landed atop the walls like meteors. Many defenders were crushed under the impact of the Grey Folk landing on them, whilst many others were slain by bolts of magic from the Grey Folk's fingers.

__________

Although he knew it was inevitable, Galbatorix still watched in shock as one of the brown dragons was killed. He also knew that it was inevitable that none of the others would survive. Indeed, as he watched, a second dragon fell, its Rider dead, and wings torn. The yellow and blue dragons turned and flew to aid the green dragon in its fight. The battle in the streets was almost over, and he didn't dare look at the walls, on which the mysterious enemy were systematically destroying the defenders with powerful magic. He knew it was time. Galbatorix quickly finished the spell he had been working on the entire battle, and Shruikan took off. Silently the black dragon flew north, away from the battle.

**Chapter 81**

The third and final brown dragon was now retreating. It flew back towards the castle, seeking refuge within the dragon hold. Once he was satisfied that the Rider had gone, Eragon told Saphira to head for the castle courtyard where the Elves were now in a fierce battle with several hundred of the Empires painless soldiers.

________

Like a burst dam, the Grey Folk rushed along the walls, leaving a trail of dead and dying soldiers. Bolts of blue magic flew from their fingertips as they twirled their swords to decimate the archers. Within minutes they had cleared at least half the cities wall of defenders. Roran watched all this, mouth open with shock. The Varden had been depleted so badly that now they formed a meagre shield wall, only three lines deep, with their backs to the carcass of the mighty brown dragon which had crashed onto the wall. They could retreat no more. Roran was in the back row, as when his row had turned to reinforce the other, he had been unable to push his way to the front. The man in front of him moved forwards, taking the place of a wounded comrade. Therefore he just watched in amazement as the Grey Folk swept along the wall.

Roran took the wounded man and leant him up against the flank of the dragon. He was bleeding heavily from a cut to his sword arm, which was hanging lifelessly by his side. Suddenly an arrow whistled past Roran's head and buried itself in the wounded mans forehead. Blood fountained from the wound, spraying Roran and those around with blood. A second arrow followed the first, this one slicing through the man's cheek. He was pinned to the dragons side, yet somehow he still lived. A third arrow was all it took to end him. It buried itself deep into the man's eyelid. His uninjured eye rolled round in its socket, then his face went deathly pale. His eye closed, and he was gone. All this took about three seconds, and Roran was already pushing hard on the back of the man in front of him.

Without warning, the man fell back against Roran. His head spun round, blood frothing from his mouth. Roran stopped pushing, seeing that the man was on the verge of death. A sword from the enemy finished him off, slitting his throat. The man fell to the ground and Roran stepped up to take his place.

Roran raised his shield in the same instant he stepped forwards, interlocking it with the shields of the men on either side. As he plugged the hole in the shield wall, he swung his hammer at the soldier in front of him and brought it crashing down on his head. Blood, fragments of skull and chunks of brain matter flew everywhere. Another soldier stepped up to take his place. All around him, on both sides of the wall, the same thing was happening. And all the while Roran felt himself being pushed back.

As they were forced back, Roran stumbled on the dead man whose place in the wall he had taken. As he fell he looked at the soldier in front of him. There was a triumphant look in his eyes as he raised his sword over his head, ready for the kill. Then his look suddenly changed from triumph to shock, and then to pain. He looked down at his chest. The tip of a sword was poking through, covered in blood. The man's eyes widened in horror as the sword was thrust right through him. After a second the sword disappeared, and the man fell to the side. In his place stood one of the strange being's which Roran had watched sweep their way along the walls only minutes earlier, then forgotten about.

It looked similar to an elf, yet different, more knowledgeable, if such a thing were possible. Roran was about to thank it, but before he could even open his mouth, it had jumped over his head and over the dead dragon behind.

___________

Saphira dived at the cluster of the Empires soldiers without mercy. Using her claws and tail, the sent dozens flying through the air. Amazingly, some got up, and resumed attacking the Elves and Saphira. She responded by engulfing them flames from her gaping maw. With Saphira's aid, the last remaining defenders were quickly beaten. Eragon leapt from Saphira's back and headed for the castle doors.

'[i]What are you doing Eragon?'[/i] Saphira asked.

'[i]Going in for Galbatorix.[/i]' he replied instantly.

'[i]Are you sure it's wise to go in alone Little One?'[/i]

'[i]I must, you cannot fit inside the castle.[/i]'

'[i]Very well Eragon[/i]' Saphira said reluctantly, '[i]But if I sense you are in trouble, my size will not stop me from reaching you.[/i]'

'[i]I expected as much[/i]' Eragon said with a laugh, then opened to door.

But before he could step into the castle to confront his mortal foe, he noticed that Kveykva had landed near Saphira, and Arya was now running with tremendous speed towards him.

'I'm coming with you' she said simply.

'No. It's too dangerous. I must do this alone.' Eragon replied.

A look of rage briefly passed over Arya's face, but it was so brief that Eragon thought he could have imagined it.

'How many times do I have to tell you that I am not a feeble human woman. I can look after myself.'

'I know, I just don't want you getting hurt.' Eragon said weakly.

'I'm coming with you.' Arya said again, much more firmly this time. And that settled it. Eragon turned and walked into the castle.

As he entered, the air changed immediately. It was much cooler within the castles walls, but that was not what bothered Eragon. No, there was something else, a foul, malicious presence. It made Eragon feel as though he was being watched, and from the look on Arya's face, it made her uncomfortable as well.

Eragon looked round. They were in a large hallway, with balconies down either side. The walls were bear. Along either side of the hall, on both levels, the walls were lined with doors. Ahead of them at the other end was another double door. Eragon ran towards it, with Arya right behind. He pushed open one of the doors to find himself in another hallway, much like the one they had just left, although it was about half the length. At the other end it widened into a large chamber. On each side there was a wide flight of stairs. Both sets converged onto a single point halfway up the wall. At the point there was another double door. Flanking the doors were two sentries with vicious halberds, which they now used to block the stairs.

Eragon ran up the left flight, whilst Arya took the right. The stairs turned a right angle when they met the wall, then continued up to the central door. When Eragon was about halfway up the second set of stairs he jumped up and over the sentry. As he jumped he spun round and landed behind the man, facing his back. Without even bothering to draw his sword, he uttered one of the words of death, and the man fell forwards, tumbling down the stairs to hit the wall upside down, his neck broken by the impact. But that did not matter, as he was dead even before he started to fall. Eragon turned and saw that the other sentry had also died in a similar way, although that one had somehow bounced off the wall and down the rest of the stairs to the floor. Wordlessly, Eragon and Arya continued through the doors.

At the other end of them room they were now in there were two spiral staircases, one leading up, the other down. Without hesitation Eragon took the stairs upwards. Every now and then the stairs were punctuated by doors leading off to various locations around the castle. Eragon ignored all of them, instead concentrating on climbing higher and higher. Arya followed without a word, accepting that Eragon knew where he was going. Eventually the stairs ended. Ahead of them was a door which was much large than those they had passed already. It was wooden, but was festooned with iron spikes and bars. It was a door designed to keep people out. And it was behind this door that Eragon thought his foe to be.

Eragon pushed against the door, hoping that it might be unlocked, but he had no such luck. Muttering a curse, he placed a hand over the lock, and uttered a spell Oromis had taught him which would unlock any door. Too his surprise, there were no wards over the door or lock, and as the spell finished, the lock clicked into place. Nervously Eragon barged the door opened, drawing Brisingr as he did so.

__________

With the battle in the castle courtyard won, the Elven army entered the castle to clear out the final resistance. Islanzadi entered first, followed by the strongest elves. She marched down the first hallway, ignoring the doors on either side. The rest of the elves followed, some splitting off to enter whatever rooms or passages lay behind the doors. Islanzadi passed through the doors which led into the second hallway. When she reached the wider end section she saw the bodies of the sentries and the open doors, and realised that Eragon and Arya had passed that way. Instead of following them, she entered the double doors which were beneath the stairs, doors which she knew led to the rest of the castle.

Although many elves had broken off from the main group to explore all the doors which lined the hallways, most of them were gathered in the wide section of the second hallway. Islanzadi turned in the doorway and addressed the assembled elves.

'I want you all to search the castle for a large collection of objects which look like stones. They will vary greatly in size, and there will probably be many hundred of them. They will also vary in colour, and glow slightly. If you do find them, whatever happens, do not touch them, find me at once and lead me to them. They are of great significance and must not be damaged.'

'Of course Your Majesty,' the elves said in unison, in the Ancient Language, forcing them to follow the Queens orders to the letter.

__________

Eragon burst through the door and into the throne room. His eyes scanned the room rapidly, taking in all the details. On the left there was an intimidating throne, made of a polished black stone. To the right there was a rack of weapons. Eragon instantly noticed that three slots were empty. There was also an armour stand, which had nothing on. And ahead of him was a large window which overlooked the city. Standing the centre of the window, looking out at the destruction being wrought on Uru'Baen was a man, illuminated in the fading light. The man was clad in black armour with a black shield in one hand and a black sword in the other. Slowly the man turned.

Although the helmet had a visor, it was raised, allowing Eragon look into the face of his foe. The face looked incredibly pale, almost pale enough to see through, although Eragon attributed that to a trick of the light. Before he could think more on the matter, the man charged at him.

Eragon barely managed to raise Brisingr in time to counter the blow from the black sword. The ringing of steel filled the room as blows were countered. The man was far stronger than Eragon, and a much better swordsman which surprised Eragon, as he could best all the greatest Elven fighters in single combat. Eragon swung his sword in a blow aimed at Galbatorix's neck. He brought his sword up to counter it, but at the last possible second, Eragon changed his swords path so it was aimed at Galbatorix's leg. Although the blade moved so fast that it was almost impossible to see, somehow Galbatorix was able to anticipate the blow and lower his shield to counter the sword. The sword and shield met with a loud bang. The blow was strong enough to have cut through a small tree, but it left no dent on the magically enhanced shield.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eragon saw Arya move to attack Galbatorix from behind. Silently she crept up on him whilst Eragon intensified his strokes. As Galbatorix parried more and more blows, Arya drew nearer and nearer. Then, like a coiled snake she attacked with the speed of a Cobra. Her blows, added to those of Eragon forced Galbatorix into a corner. But once there he was at his most dangerous. Using both sword and shield, he finally started to counter attack. His speed surprised Eragon. [i]Surely no-one can move that fast![/i] He thought. Then a cry from Arya interrupted him. He turned his head enough to see her flying across the room, hit in the face by Galbatorix's shield. As she flew she twisted in the air and landed on her feet inches away from the wall. Seeing Arya's pain only intensified Eragon's determination to destroy his foe.

Eragon yelled '[i]BRISINGR![/i]' and his sword burst into blue flames. The sun had now set, and the room was illuminated only by candles, but the fire burned bright, dazzling all in the room. Eragon took a mighty swing at Galbatorix's sword, knocking it out of his hand. By then Arya was back alongside him, the wound to her face healing rapidly. Together they drove Galbatorix back into the corner by the throne. When Galbatorix was blocking a blow from Arya, he unwittingly left himself exposed. Seizing the advantage, Eragon swung once more at Galbatorix's neck. Only this time he did not change Brisingr's path.

The blue blade fell straight and true towards Galbatorix. 'This ends now' Eragon shouted. Galbatorix turned in shock to see the blade falling ever closer to his neck...

__________

'Your Majesty, Queen Islanzadi, we've found them.' An elf ran up to Islanzadi's side, interrupting a conversation she was having with one of her aides. Islanzadi snapped her head up to stare at the elf. She pointed towards a small door opposite them.

'They are that way.'

'Take me to them!' Islanzadi ordered.

The elf nodded slightly and ran towards the door. Islanzadi followed, as did her aide. The elf led them down several staircases and along many halls, until eventually they reached a large room which was brimming with gold and jewels.

'They are through that door Your Majesty' the elf said, pointing towards a small door, almost hidden by a mound of goblets. 'There were many enchantments on that door, and the one we have just passed through, but we managed to break through all of them.'

It was then that Islanzadi looked round and saw about two dozen Elves in small groups around the room.

'You have done well' she said.

The Elves did not reply, but made the gesture of loyalty which Islanzadi repeated. She opened the door and walked through. This was the right room all right. In front of her lay a mound of many hundred Eldunari. She quickly looked over them, searching for the right one. Then she noticed it, a medium sized black Eldunari sitting on the top of the pile. She snatched it up, along with a few more of a similar size, and left the room.

'No-one is to enter this room.' She said to the Elves in the main treasure room.

As one the nodded and said 'We shall ensure that no-one does' in the Ancient Language. Islanzadi left the room and headed back to the room with the dead sentries.

When she reached it she quickly made her way up the stairs and into the spiral staircase. After a minute of climbing she reached the open door to the throne room, and saw Eragon's sword just about to decapitate a man in black armour.

______

A second after Galbatorix looked at Eragon, the blade made contact with his neck. Or, at least, it should have done. Where his neck should have been there was only air. Yet Galbatorix had not moved. Before Eragon could speak again, Galbatorix's mouth started to move.

Laughter filled the room, and though it was coming from the man in the corner, it was not he who was laughing.

'Well, well, well Shadeslayer.' The voice said, 'It would seem that you have realised you cannot beat me.'

Eragon caught Arya's eye, and saw that she too was surprised by this. The laughter resumed again, and the man walked forwards. He removed his helmet, and Eragon was amazed to see that he could see right through the man's head. For it was not really Galbatorix, but merely a likeness, crafter through magic, much the one which had been used when he had gone to Farthen Dur to witness the crowning of a new king. Then, without warning, the likeness vanished into thin air, leaving it's armour and sword to clatter to the floor. They were real enough.

It was then that Eragon noticed Islanzadi standing in the doorway, a black Eldunari in her hands. 'We found this with Galbatorix's store of Eldunari.' She said. 'I believe that it is Shruikan's.'

'[i]Bring it to me'[/i] Saphira said suddenly, her voice entering the minds of all in the room as she appeared in the large window. Islanzadi took it to Saphira without question.

'[i]Saphira, what are you doing?'[/i] Eragon asked.

'[i]Shruikan wasn't in the Dragon hold, so it stands to reason that he and Galbatorix have escaped to somewhere. Hopefully I will be able to find out where.'[/i]

'[i]Be careful[/i]' Eragon said.

Saphira said nothing, but touched glowing stone with her nose and reached out with her mind. Across their mental connection, Eragon could see what she saw when she entered the mind of Shruikan. Within a second they were forced out of the black dragon's mind, but that was long enough to catch a glimpse of mountains, and in the distance, a tall fort on the side of a mountain. With a gasp Eragon realised that he recognised he crumbling tower. It was Edoc'sil, at the head of Palancar valley, the Rider outpost he had passed with Brom many months before.

'He is going to Utgard' Eragon announced to Islanzadi and Arya.

'Appropriate, don't you think?' Arya said, but no-one commented.

'I must follow.' Eragon said firmly.

'Yes, but take these with you.' Islanzadi handed Eragon the other three Eldunari she had taken from the store many floors below.

'Thank you' Eragon said as he turned and ran to the window. Saphira was hovering just outside, and Eragon jumped through and onto her saddle. Together they flew towards their Wyrda.

**Chapter 82**

Eragon and Saphira flew in silence, not because there was nothing to say, but because they were both preparing for a fight they did not know if they could win. As they flew, Eragon reached out with his mind, trying to sense any creatures from which he could draw energy from. To his annoyance, there were none, as the distance to the ground was too great for Eragon to find and enter the minds of the small animals below. Saphira sensed his annoyance.

'[i]Eragon, what about the Eldunari Islanzadi gave you? Surely they would give you energy. And there is the Eldunari of Gleadr, he too would be glad to aid, I am sure.[/i]'

'[i]It's worth a try.'[/i] Eragon replied.

The four Eldunari were all in one of Saphira's saddle bags. Eragon reached in and grabbed the Eldunari of Gleadr.

'[i]Greetings Ebrithil[/i]' Eragon said as he made contact with Gleadr's mind.

'[i]Ah, I was wondering when you would come to me Eragon.[/i]'

'[i]Then you know what I am going to ask.[/i]'

'[i]Yes, I will give you all the energy I can spare, as will the other dragons. When their Eldunari were placed with mine, I was able to talk to them and tell them what has happened.[/i]'

'[i]Thank you Ebrithil[/i]' Eragon said, and started to draw energy from Gleadr's Eldunari.

'[i]Eragon, wait[/i]' Gleadr said, stopping Eragon from taking any more of his energy, '[i]Before I give you more energy, you must promise me one thing[/i]'

'[i]Anything Ebrithil[/i]' Eragon said in the Ancient Language, binding himself to Gleadr's request.

'[i]Very well, take however much you require.[/i]'

Eragon once more started to draw energy from Gleadr, transferring it to his body, and from there to the belt of Beloth the Wise and the ring, Aren. When he felt that he had taken all that Gleadr could spare, Eragon moved on to the next Eldunari. Although it was a similar size to Gleadr, and had been an Eldunari for at least a hundred years, it contained less than half the energy of Gleadr. When Eragon moved on to the other two, he found the same thing. After a few seconds, he realised that it was due to them being forced to do Galbatorix's bidding for a hundred years which had drained them, and stopped them from re-cooperating their strength.

___________

Though there was less than a hundred of the Varden's soldiers remaining, they were still a determined force to be reckoned with. As they headed for the stairs which led down from the walls, they searched through the dead for their dead friends. Roran stopped and knelt by the body of the magician Carn, who had fought with him since he joined the Varden. Though Roran had seen mush death and mutilation in his short time as a soldier, seeing the broken body of his friend saddened him. For a terrible moment he was looking not at a sea of dead friends and foes, but at Garrow's destroyed farmstead, the burning ruins of Carvahall and the shattered body of Katrina, slain by the treacherous red dragon, Thorn. The Empire had destroyed all he held dear. But now, the Empire was crumbling. The thought gave Roran some satisfaction, but satisfaction alone would not bring those things back. The illusion was broken when one of the Varden walked up and clasped his shoulder. Roran looked up and the man spoke.

'Roran, we must go, you have been summoned by the Elven Queen. She wishes to speak with you in the castle.'

'Very well, lead the way.' Roran said to man, standing up and following him. As he went, he was aware that he was leaving behind a piece of himself, one which he could never recover. The man led Roran down the nearest steps and through a twisting maze of streets.

'You know Uru'Baen well' Roran remarked, which surprised him, as he was sure that no-one would have had enough time to explore the city in the short time since the battle had ended.

'I lived here before I joined the Varden.' The man replied after a second.

They walked on in silence, occasionally passing small groups of Elves or Dwarves who were searching through the corpses which lined the streets. Once or twice Roran thought he saw one of the cities inhabitants peeking through the window of a house, but the faces always vanished the instant they realised they had been seen.

Eventually they reached the castle gates. The sun had almost set, and the sky was darkening. Roran As they had left the walls, Roran had seen a burst of blue light from one of the windows of the castles main tower, a sight which was followed, several minutes later, by a figure which Roran took to be Eragon, jumping onto Saphira and flying east, towards the Spine. And now, as they entered the castle courtyard, Roran looked up and saw that two more dragons, one green, the other yellow, were also flying in the same direction.

Before he could watch any more, they were inside the castle. Before Roran could take two steps, an Elf stepped forwards and greeted him.

'The Queen is this way.' She said, pointing towards the door at the other end of the hall.

The man who had taken Roran to the castle bowed and said, 'I shall take my leave now Roran, this [i]elf[/i]' he said the word with thinly veiled scorn, 'will take you the rest of the way.'

Roran nodded at the man, who promptly stalked off through the door. He turned to follow the elf, who was now almost halfway down the hall. Roran ran to catch up. The Elf did not speak as they walked down the second hall and up the narrow spiral staircase. At the top of the stairs there was a thick wooden door, which was shut tight. The Elf knocked three times, and the door opened, seemingly of its own accord. The Elf gestured for Roran to enter, and he did. He found himself in the room from which the evil Empire was controlled. There was a pile of black armour lying messily in one corner. And sitting on the throne was the Queen Islanzadi. In front of her there was two chairs, one of which was empty, the other occupied by a Dwarf in magnificent armour. Islanzadi pointed and the remaining chair, and Roran sat down.

'As you can tell, we have taken the city of Uru'Baen' Islanzadi started, 'And even now Eragon flies to destroy Galbatorix who is hiding in the fort of Utgard. We can now do nothing except hope that Eragon and Saphira will be successful in their task.'

Before she could say any more, the Dwarf interrupted. 'There is no doubt that mine foster brother will succeed. He is Ingeitum, and Ingeitum never fail.' Islanzadi looked annoyed at being interrupted, but she allowed the Dwarf to continue. 'And there is something we can do, we can decide what will happen to the Empire now that Galbatorix has fled.'

Roran listened in silence as the Dwarf spoke. He had never liked politics.

___________

In the distance Eragon could see the mountains which formed the Spine. Saphira had flown all night, and dawn was now breaking behind them. As they drew closer and closer, Eragon focused his mind on all that Oromis and Brom had taught him, about magic and hand to hand combat. He knew that if the fake Galbatorix he had fought in the throne room of Uru'Baen was anything to go by, he would need all his strength and knowledge just to stay alive. As they flew, he remembered what Blodhgarm had told him about magical likenesses of living beings.

'[i]...If ever you need to create such a likeness again, remember this. No matter how it is created, the model will never be even a third as strong as the real being. However, the person that created it will leave traces of himself within. If you create a magical likeness of yourself, then someone else channels their magic through it, the magic will always be blue, as you do....[/i]'

As the words came back to him, he replayed every stroke of the fight in his mind, looking for any possible weakness. To his dismay, he could not spot a single weakness he could use against Galbatorix. Saphira must have sensed his brooding, as she spoke up.

'[i]Eragon, don't forget that the likeness you fought did not use magic, and you could not sense its mind, maybe that could help you.[/i]'

'[i]I suppose it might[/i]' Eragon said, though he was still unsure of what he could do. He looked up, and saw that they were within about ten miles of Utgard. Ahead he could see the fortress on the top of the mountain called Utgard. To his dismay and relief, he could see the mighty black dragon Shruikan perched atop the peak of the outpost. Even over such a distance, Shruikan was a daunting size. The black dragon was still clad in its polished steel armour, which glinted in the morning light.

A cold pit of fear formed in Eragon's stomach as they drew closer. When only five miles separated them Shruikan took off and Saphira increased the speed of her wing beats, climbing as she flew. Height was everything, and Eragon knew he and Saphira would need all the advantage they could gain. For a moment Eragon's sight was obscured by grey, but the rapidly passed through the cloud, into brilliant sunlight. Now, below them was a huge cloud, forming a sea of white and grey. And it was through that sea that Shruikan burst not thirty seconds later. He was far closer to Saphira than he had been before they entered the cloud, and the reduced distance allowed Eragon to fully appreciate the size of the twisted beast ahead of them. He could now see Galbatorix perched on a saddle in the hollow of Shruikan's back. Eragon drew Brisingr, and saw it was a move matched by Galbatorix. Eragon made one final check to see if all his and Saphira's wards were still in place, then the Shruikan was upon them.

Though Saphira was slightly higher than Shruikan, the advantage meant nothing due to Shruikan's enhanced size. They collided like two meteors striking each other high above the ground. Shruikan tried to envelope Saphira in his powerful legs, but Saphira size gave her the advantage of speed. Where Shruikan had hoped to find a dragon, he found only air. Saphira darted up past the huge dragons head, swinging her tail at Shruikan's eye as she went. Though not as fast as Saphira, Shruikan had far more experience at fighting other dragons, and anticipated the move. With a slight movement his head was out of range of Saphira's tail. Shruikan replied by letting a great gout of flame fly from his gaping maw. Eragon's wards kept the fire away from him and Saphira, but he felt the heat of them nonetheless.

Saphira dived past Shruikan, then flew underneath, twisting in the air to rake Shruikan's underbelly with her claws. To Eragon's dismay Shruikan's armour completely covered his belly, but he only got a glimpse before Saphira rolled to attack it and he was upside down. As Saphira's claws made contact with the steel they made a horrible grinding sound and left deep scratches in the metal. But strong as Saphira's claws were, they could not cut through the armour. Then Saphira made the mistake of flying too close to Shruikan's forelegs. He managed to grab her with them, and try as she might, she could not break free. Instead she resorted to swiping with her claws and tail and biting with her jaws at any part of Shruikan she could reach. Eragon was shaken about like a rat as she did so, and as Shruikan fought back.

Both dragons clawed at each other in an attempt to wound the other enough that they would no longer be able to fight. As they fought, they fell. Suddenly Eragon felt a powerful mental assault on his mind. It was stronger than anything he had ever faced before. Desperately he tried to focus his mind on the fragment of poetry Oromis had taught him for such an occasion. He managed to focus on it just in time to stop Galbatorix taking control of his mind. But it was like a weak dam holding back a river in flood. Sooner or later his defences would shatter, leaving him at Galbatorix's mercy. He managed to get a hand to the diamonds on the belt of Beloth the Wise and draw strength from them, but he knew it would not be enough. Galbatorix was too strong.

Abruptly Eragon's vision was once more obscured by cloud as the two dragons fell towards the ground. From the way the mental attack weakened Eragon could tell that Galbatorix was also shocked by the sudden lack of vision. Seizing the slight advantage, Eragon forced Galbatorix out of his mind completely and launched an attack of his own. As he expected he instantly came across impenetrable barriers, but it was enough to stop Galbatorix's attack. Feeling slightly relieved, Eragon turned his attention back to the battle between the dragons. Saphira had managed to get out of Shruikan's grasp, and the large dragon was now falling backwards as Saphira mercilessly tore into his legs with tooth and claw. Both dragons wards had been destroyed as they fell, and every blow broke scales or drew blood. Somehow Saphira managed to get her jaw around one of Shruikan's legs. She bit down hard, causing a deep wound and severing the muscles. The leg flailed limply as the two dragons scrapped.

Suddenly Eragon realised that they were now a mere hundred feet above one of the mountains of the Spine.

'Saphira! Watch out!' he shouted, not daring to open a mental connection for fear that Galbatorix would attack with his mind once more. Luckily Saphira heard him over the roars of Shruikan and herself, and pushed away from him just in time. Shruikan was not so quick to react. Galbatorix must have also realised what was about to happen, and shouted a warning, as a split second after Saphira pushed away Shruikan did a barrel roll so that he was the right way up. He swerved to avoid the mountain's peak, but clipped it with his wing. Luckily for him there was about six feet of snow top of the mountain, which served to lessen the impact. The snow which had been disturbed by Shruikan's wing started to charge down the mountain, gaining in speed and size. Within seconds the avalanche was tearing down the mountain with a roar louder than a dragons, uprooting trees and boulders like twigs and pebbles as it blazed down the hill.

As Saphira climbed once more Eragon tore his eyes away from the magnificent trail of destruction on the side of the mountain. Eragon looked up to see Shruikan flying towards them, but he was flying slower, more laboriously. Eragon saw that he had damaged his wing as it hit the mountain, and broken many of the spindly bones within. He had also torn the webbing in several places and a crimson shower fell from his wing, staining the pure white snow red. It was obvious that the pain was affecting him as when he next attacked, it was nowhere near as powerful as his attacks only minutes earlier. Eragon saw Galbatorix utter a healing spell and saw bolts of magic dance along Shruikan's wing, patching the holes and rejoining the bones. But it was too late. Shruikan crashed into Saphira whilst his wing was still healing. Saphira slashed Shruikan with her claws, always aiming for his vulnerable crimson eyes. Although Shruikan was able to avoid most of the blows the frequency of them proved to be too great. Eventually a blow would have to get past Shruikan's defences. And indeed one did. Saphira's hooked claw punctured one of Shruikan's crimson eyes. Dragon blood sprayed everywhere, turning the mountaintop red. Shruikan screeched in pain, a terrible sound, which was joined by the scream of Galbatorix as he felt Shruikan's pain through their twisted bond. Shruikan turned and headed for the nearest piece of ground large enough for him to land on. With blood spraying everywhere Shruikan made for the fortress of Utgard and descended through the open roof. Saphira followed close behind, though she didn't attack the wounded dragon.

As they descended through the open roof Eragon gaped as he saw for the first time a relic of the Riders of old. Inside the outpost there was a large open area, which was what they were flying into. In the very centre there was a large mound of snow, built up over the last hundred years. There were four vaulted passageways leading off from the central chamber, one for each compass point. But most shocking of all was that between the north and east passageways, lay the skeleton of a massive dragon, and, lying next to it, the bones of a headless man.

'[i]Is that really...[/i]' Eragon said to Saphira in amazement as they landed near the east passage. Shruikan landed opposite them, near the entrance to the east passage. Galbatorix was climbing off Shruikan just as Saphira was landing.

'Ah, I see you have met Vrael and his pitiful dragon.' Galbatorix said mockingly as Eragon jumped from Saphira. 'Fitting, don't you think, that I will end your dreams of a new order of Riders in the same place I ended the old, corrupt regime?'

'You treacherous toad' Eragon spat at Galbatorix. They were now both circling the central mound of snow. 'You will die, and the Empire will die with you.'

'You really think you can defeat me?' Galbatorix snarled, 'I, who singlehandedly killed dozens of Riders and Dragons, including their pathetic leader you see over there.'

'You didn't defeat him, you tricked him you underhanded coward.'

Both Eragon and Galbatorix had closed the distance so they were now only metres apart. Eragon had Brisingr in his hand and was ready to defend himself. Galbatorix drew his second sword, the silver blade. The silver blade contrasted with the black of his armour and second sword. Galbatorix snarled and rushed at Eragon, blades swinging widely.

Eragon managed to get Brisingr up in time to block the silver sword, but he could not move fast enough to block the other blade. As the sword bounced off his wards he wished he had brought a shield with him. Then Galbatorix came at him again, swinging both swords. This time Eragon was expecting it, and was able to block both blows, though it caused him stagger backwards. Galbatorix was far, far stronger than Eragon, both mentally and physically, and had had over one hundred years to practice his combat skills. Eragon fended off another blow and stepped back to avoid the second sword. Saphira growled as Eragon was forced slowly back towards the wall. Galbatorix ignored Saphira, and continued to press the attack. Blows rained down on Eragon. He was able to deflect most of the attacks, but some still got past him, depleting his wards. He was still being forced back. With a jolt, Eragon realised that he had reached the wall, and had nowhere to back away to. Galbatorix sensed victory and strode forwards, swords raised. Eragon brought Brisingr up to block the first blow, then, at the last possible second, sidestepped away from the second blow which threatened to cleave his head in twain. The finely crafted sword hit the wall with a loud bang, which sent shards of stone flying everywhere, though the blade was undamaged.

Galbatorix was knocked slightly off balance by the impact of the sword on the wall so Eragon took the opportunity to attack back. He swung Brisingr at Galbatorix's neck, then, using the same trick he had pulled on the likeness in Uru'Baen, changed the swords path to aim at Galbatorix's chest. Galbatorix moved one blade up to block the swing at his neck, whilst leaving the other blade near his belly. As Brisingr's path changed, the second sword came up to block Brisingr. As the two blades hit, the ringing of steel filled the room. Galbatorix spun round with blinding speed, and used the upper sword to meet Eragon's next blow. Brisingr and the black blade remained crossed as Eragon and Galbatorix pushed at each other. As they pushed the blades grinded made a terrible grinding sound. Had they not been of Elven make, they surely would have broken or become irreparably pitted by the conflict. Eragon's face was just inches from Galbatorix's when he spun Brisingr in a circle, throwing Galbatorix back and releasing the blade.

Eragon resumed attacking almost instantly, forcing Galbatorix to remain defensive. Slowly it dawned upon Eragon that he had no chance of beating Galbatorix, even though he was now retreating from Eragon's blows. Each stroke was imbued with some of the energy from the diamonds in Eragon's belt or Brom's ring. An idea formed in Eragon's head, but Galbatorix was facing the mound of snow, so would realise what was coming. Eragon stopped attacking and allowed himself to be beaten back until he was almost touching the wall. Then, when he was certain Galbatorix would have no time to react, he quietly said '[i]Vindr thrysta[/i]' whilst concentrating on the mound of snow. For a second, nothing happened, they wind started to whistle through the outpost, stirring up the snow. At first it was barely noticeable, but gradually the wind picked up, ripping more and more snow from the mound. Then, when the wind had reached a crescendo, all the snow in the air flew towards Galbatorix's back. Galbatorix was raising his sword for another strike at Eragon when the snow hit him, driving him into the wall where Eragon had stood only a second previously. Eragon had felt a massive drain on his strength as the snow had been picked up by the wind then thrown at Galbatorix. As Eragon replenished his energy using that which he had stored in the belt, Galbatorix was crawling out of the mound of snow. Before he could stand, Eragon rushed at him, swinging Brisingr wildly.

He angled Brisingr as though to strike Galbatorix's neck, and, as he expected, the sword in Galbatorix's right hand rose to meet his blow. Once more Eragon changed the path of Brisingr, although this time, it was not aimed at Galbatorix's chest, but at his wrist. As Galbatorix's other sword was still partially covered in snow, there was nothing he could do to stop Eragon's blade slicing through his wrist. The hand fell to the floor, still grasping the silver sword. Blood fountained from the stump, dying the snow red, until Galbatorix stemmed the flow with a spell of healing.

Eragon backed away, giving Galbatorix a chance to stand, as it was too late to attempt another blow. As Galbatorix was getting up, Eragon realised that he was pinned in place with magic. As Eragon tried to defend against the attack, Galbatorix stood. Slowly he walked towards Eragon. Eragon could feel the strength of Galbatorix's spell pushing at him from all angles, pinning him in place and forcing him down. Eragon used all the energy in the diamond studded belt to fend off the attack, but somehow Galbatorix was able to continue his spell. Eragon had one knee on the floor when Galbatorix reached him. As Galbatorix raised his sword for the final blow, Eragon closed his eyes and put all his strength into trying to break the spell. As the sword started to fall, Eragon could feel the magic pinning him reduce ever so slightly. Seeing a way out, he doubled his efforts, forcing the magic away. When the sword had about a foot to fall, Eragon was able to move one finger. Saphira let loose a tremendous roar which shook the open room. Eragon felt a sudden, tremendous power building up in Saphira. Then, when the sword was only inches away from Eragon's neck, the magic which had been building up in Saphira was released. Galbatorix was thrown across the room, and the magic holding Eragon in place disappeared. So powerful was the blast of magic that it shook the outpost to its foundations. Chunks of masonry started to fall from the ceiling.

Eragon stood up and walked towards Galbatorix who was also forcing himself upwards.

_________

Galbatorix slowly pushed himself up using his one hand. But where he should have seen Saphira, he saw a large grey dragon. And where he should have seen Eragon, he saw Vrael. Vrael walked towards him with grim determination. Despite the gruesome wound to his side, he was still a formidable opponent. Galbatorix stood and raised his sword. Vrael came closer...

_________

Eragon watched as Galbatorix stood and raised his sword. He drew nearer...

_________

Galbatorix knew that Vrael was still too strong for him to defeat, and he would not be shown any such mercy as he had on the pervious occasion they fought. Vrael was almost within striking distance. He swung his sword at Galbatorix...

_________

As Eragon came within reach of Galbatorix, Galbatorix swung his black sword at Eragon...

_________

He brought his sword up to block Vrael's blow, and saw an opening...

_________

As Eragon blocked Galbatorix's swing, he realised that now was his only chance to kill Galbatorix, and he knew what to do. He drew back his foot...

_________

Galbatorix kicked Vrael in groin just as Vrael prepared to strike again. He fell to his knees and Galbatorix brought back his sword...

_________

Galbatorix fell to his knees and his sword dropped from his hands as he clutched at his injured groin. Eragon shouted 'BRISINGR' and his sword burst into blue flames...

_________

The heat of the flames burnt Galbatorix's hands, but he ignored the pain. Instead, he focused all his energy into one, final blow, which headed straight for Vrael's neck...

________

The last thing Galbatorix saw before the end was a blazing blade falling to his neck. The finely honed sword, sharp enough to slice a hair in two, cut through his neck like a hot knife through butter. Galbatorix's head fell to the floor, bounced once, then rolled to lie beside the skeleton of Vrael. His body toppled the other way, blood cascading from his neck. As his body fell to the side, Eragon dropped the still burning Brisingr to his side, too exhausted to extinguish the flames. He looked up to see Saphira walking towards him.

'[i]Well done Little One[/i]' she said, '[i]We've won.'[/i]

'[i]Aye, Galbatorix is dead, but what about Shruikan?'[/i] Eragon asked, surprised that he hadn't heard cries of pain from Galbatorix's dragon. Saphira lifted a leg a pointed with an outstretched claw. Eragon turned to see the Shruikan's skull had been crushed by a large chunk of masonry. The fortress shuddered as more of it fell.

'[i]Let's get out of here[/i]' Eragon said to Saphira tiredly. She stretched a leg out to allow Eragon to climb up into the saddle. When he was secure, Saphira took off and flew out through the open roof. Eragon was surprised to see the dragons of Arya and Evarinya nearby. They flew towards him.

'What happened?' Arya shouted to him.

Before Eragon could reply, Ristvak'Baen, the Place of Sorrow, collapsed, forever sealing within it the corpse of the megalomaniac who had destroyed the Riders.

'It's over' Eragon said.

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